


Riley's Journal

by Bailey321



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2019-06-09 15:03:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 32,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15270072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bailey321/pseuds/Bailey321
Summary: Riley is lonely. She has her friends, but she hasn't met the blond girl that is her future, at least not yet.  Multi-chapter.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> No sign of Maya in this first chapter, but I bet she will show up!

Riley Mathews stared at her laptop, searching for the words to express what she was feeling. A fledgling writer should be better at expressing herself. She sighed and leaned back. Writing a journal had seemed like a great idea when she started. She had poured all of her emotion onto the pages that first year, thinking that possibly putting it all down would help her figure out what she really wanted. She closed her eyes, thinking back over the time since she had started trying to describe her daily feelings.

The first entry was about Lucas, of course. For a long time she thought it would be the two of them, the next Corey and Topanga. Almost every girl in the school wanted to date him, and all she had to do was say yes. They would have been the high school power couple. But starting a journal had saved her from that. She read her first entry, the day he announced proudly that he wanted her to be his girlfriend, completely sure that she would jump at the chance. It wasn't what she had said, thankfully. Now it sounded horribly sarcastic.

Dear Journal: "Yes, I'll date you Lucas. Yes, I'll be your girlfriend and I'll pretend that I enjoy those rough kisses and the way your hands stray up under my shirt, searching for my bra. Someday I'll say yes to climbing in the back seat of your car and pretend to enjoy having sex with you, pretend that I enjoy fawning over you like the innocent middle-school dupe I once was. I'll pretend it's enough to be dating the guy everyone wants instead of having a real connection with someone who is truly special." 

She had put it all down, all the reasons to date him, and the one reason not to. There just wasn't any magic. The reality was that she was closer to Farkle and Zay. They were her best friends and they never tried to feel her up. Should she have written that down? 

Journals were a tricky business. The idea of a journal after all, was to put down everything that you were feeling and the important things that occurred in your life. She scrolled back, looking at each day's entry. Mostly it was Dear Journal: "Went to school, cheer leading practice was a blast. Went to the Diner, food fight with Zay." That was a highlight, how sad was that? There weren't any entries about making out with a boy under the bleachers at the football game, or how some boy tried to grab her butt at the dance, because that stuff never happened to her. 

After the small feud that developed with Lucas when she told him she wasn't interested, she became wary of dating in general. Once everyone knew she and Lucas weren't together she got asked out a lot. She went out on a few dates, but nothing Journal worthy. 

There was a knock on her door. "Riley, it's your father, are you decent?"

Riley bit back a smile; that had been an interesting entry. "Almost seventeen years old and the only man that's ever seen my boobs is my father!" He always remembered to knock after that horrible incident. "Fully dressed Dad, come in."

"Farkle's downstairs, he said you two are going to a movie?"

"Oh crap, I forgot. He's really early."

"Do you have time to eat? He's welcome to join us. Are you two going to the movie alone?"

"No Corey, we're meeting people there." Riley glanced at her father, his face had fallen. "Dad, Farkle and I are just friends, he and Smackle are back together, she's meeting us too."

"Such a nice young guy, smart and respectful. Rich too."

"Make up your mind. Do you want me to stay your little girl forever, or are you trying to marry me off?"

"You just turned seventeen Riley, I'm not saying you need to get serious with anyone, but you spend a lot of time up here by yourself."

"Grades Dad. If I'm going to be a famous writer I have to get good grades and I have to keep putting words down, honing my craft. Feed Farkle something, I'll be down in five and I'll grab a bite too." Corey nodded and pulled her door shut.

Riley looked at the blank page, trying to come up with something other than: "Going to the movies with Farkle." She tapped the letter I, over and over, then erased it and wrote: "I want something more, something different!" She wasn't satisfied, it was an incomplete thought. But what was it she wanted? How could she write about it, if she didn't have a clue?

The camera light on her laptop flickered dimly, then went out. Then it came on again for five seconds. Weird. She decided to ask Farkle about it, closed her laptop and went to brush her hair quickly.

***

"That was a lame movie. Sorry I dragged you to it. At least supper was good, Topanga makes a mean chicken. What was the first degree about me and Smackle from your Dad?"

"I told him you two are back together, that she was coming to the movie with us."

"Figured that out just in time. Why'd you tell him that?"

"He thinks you and I should be going out, wants a Minkus in the family I guess." Riley laughed.

"Seriously? We've been friends forever, it would be like dating my sister, gross."

"Alright, gross is not quite the way I would characterize it, but yeah, gross, no offense."

"Are we going to make one of those deals, we get married to each other if we're both single when we're forty?"

"Forty? Fifty maybe. With your money, you'll snag some babe long before then."

"To say nothing of my looks and personality, right?"

"Alright, forty it is. It's possible I won't be a rich and famous author by then. Sure as hell doesn't seem like I'm going to get a guy any other way."

"Riley, Jeez. You're smart and pretty, and about the sweetest person I know."

"Alright. Thirty, if we're not married by thirty, I'm all yours."

"I'll keep that in mind." He chuckled. "But lots of guys would date you, you just have to agree to go out once in a while. No offense, but some of the guys think you're stuck up."

"Oh goody, they already know what's wrong with me! Maybe they can fix me!"

"Point taken, but I hope my future wife won't be that sarcastic all the time."

"Oh, you can count on it Minkus. Why does the camera light keep coming on, on my laptop?"

"Is that you dodging again? Every time I point out the fact that you haven't had a date in forever, you change the subject."

"So stop pointing it out. I'll date when I meet someone I like. Really, I start writing in my Journal and the camera light always flickers. It only does it when I have my Journal open. Is the FBI watching me or what?"

"Stop watching porn. No seriously, if it's just flickering, or really dim, it's probably just some glitch in the program. If it was turned on, you would see yourself on the screen, and there would be a warning claiming to be the FBI."

"Farkle!"

"I may have visited a sight or two I shouldn't have, after the breakup with Smackle."

"Gross Dude! Alright, twenty-eight. If you don't at least have a girlfriend by then and you're still watching porn, we can talk." 

"You're a true friend Riley."

"I am not worried in the least. Besides, I'm betting Smackle will be back one of these days, begging for it." 

They had reached the Brownstone. Corey Mathews peeked out of the kitchen window at them through the fading light. Riley saw him and grinned wickedly. "Farkle, quick, kiss me." Farkle turned toward her and she leaned over, putting a hand on his cheek and kissing him on the lips for a full half minute. She giggled. "That was for Corey's benefit, I love to torment him."

Farkle looked startled but recovered quickly. "Good to know, like kissing my sister, ewh." Riley laughed and climbed out of the car, waved and walked into the apartment. Farkle watched her. "Kind of like my Sister, but not. Wow!"

***

"So what became of Smackle?" Corey asked, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"You are so easy!" Riley laughed.

"How was the movie Riley?" Topanga asked from her spot at the kitchen table.

"Not that great. Dad thinks Farkle and I are dating or should be. I gave him a big smooch because I knew Dad was watching." Corey glared at her.

"You shouldn't torment him like that. Your father, not Farkle. Although giving any seventeen-year old boy a big smooch might be asking for trouble."

"He knows I was just goofing around. He's my best friend, the last thing I would want is to screw that up."

"Your mother is my best friend, and it's not screwed up." Corey said defensively.

"I know Dad, but it's just Farkle, he gets it."

"Feelings Riley, be very careful." Topanga raised an eyebrow. 

"Maybe your right, I'll text him and make sure he didn't misunderstand. I love him more than anybody, but definitely not that way. Not a bad kisser though."

'Farkle, sorry about that whole kiss thing, I was just messing with my Dad.'

He texted back right away. 'You don't kiss like a Sister, but I know you didn't mean it any other way.'

'Sorry, shouldn't have done that. You're a great friend, wouldn't ever want that to change.'

He didn't respond. She sat in front of her laptop, feeling bad. Farkle was great and if he never found anyone she probably would marry him just to stop them both from being alone. But that wouldn't be right, and it wasn't right to kiss him like she had. He understood that, didn't he? She opened her Journal page. At least tonight she had something to write about.

"Dear Journal, they say that the person you're with should be your best friend. Does that mean that your best friend could be the person you should be with? I love Farkle, as much as I can love any guy, but I can't imagine being with him, that way. Okay, that way, as in having sex with him, but I would never want to hurt him. I kissed him tonight, and might have given him the wrong impression, I hope not. It was nice, but it wasn't, hot. Will I ever have that?"

How much should she say? It was her private Journal, no one else would ever see it, yet writing it down made it real. The hint was there, could she come right out and say it?

"Okay Journal, here it is. Like I said, I love Farkle as much as I can love any guy, but I could never love him that way. As much as I could love a guy, do you get what I'm trying to say Journal? Do I have to spell it out for you? Do I just have to come out and say it? Okay then, here's the truth, I can't like guys, because probably I like girls. How's that Journal? Do you get it now?"

There! There it was, in black and white. Easier than she had imagined. A few thousand more pages of writing it down and maybe she could tell her parents and her friends. But it felt good, it was a start. The camera light glimmered at her. She pulled a drawer open, found some masking tape and covered the lens aperture. Fuck the FBI. She was feeling pretty good after her epiphany and took a long shower. Before climbing into bed she reread what she had written in her Journal. Smiling she recorded the date, then typed one more line.

"Tomorrow will be a wonderful day! Goodnight Journal." She yawned and rubbed her eyes, then started to close her laptop. Suddenly she stopped, the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. It was there plain as day, in all caps. "Goodnight Journal" "GOODNIGHT RILES"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the truth and Riley to come out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Journal talks back.

"Zay, I feel really bad about the kissing thing with Farkle." They sat at Topanga's, each had a smoothie.

"Kissing thing? Did he try to kiss you?"

"No! I thought I told you about it. My Dad was spying on us the other night because he has this obsession with the Minkus family, so I pretended that Farkle and I were making out."

"You were swapping spit with Farkle?"

"Are you listening to me? Yes, we were actually kissing, I had to make it look good. But then my Mom said he might get the wrong impression, which I hadn't even thought of because---well, it's Farkle for crying out loud. He's more like my brother than Auggie."

"I don't know Riles, he's not exactly Mr. Smooth with the ladies, and he might have a little crush on you."

"Of please, it was just a kiss, no tongue or anything. I did drag it out a little, strictly for Corey's benefit. But it's not like I'm that great a kisser, I haven't had much practice."

"I don't know. Come on over here, let me see what I think." Zay leaned forward, smirking.

"Stop it!" Riley laughed. "I'm not falling for that. I'm serious. Farkle's, been acting weird ever since that night, avoiding me. I texted him and apologized, but he seemed kind of hurt that I don't think of him that way, even a little bit."

"Well duh, no guy wants a hot girl thinking of him as a brother. I mean, it's nice having a girl like you as a best friend, but when you kiss a dude he wants to think maybe he got your motor running, a least a little bit, it's a male ego thing. He wants to think there might be some chance, no matter how slight."

"Good grief. Men and their fragile egos! So I should swoon and tell him I really want it bad, but that I don't want to ruin the friendship."

"Swoon? But yes, that would make him feel much better. Of course there is the risk that he might just say to hell with the friendship, let's get naked! Probably better not do that."

"He wouldn't suddenly start liking me just because of one little kiss, would he?"

"Never underestimate the power of teenage hormones, Riles. And have you looked in a mirror lately, you are crazy hot."

Riley put her head down, blushing. "Thanks, Zay, but like I said, this is Farkle." She looked up at him, suddenly suspicious. "Hey, when did you start calling me Riles?"

"I don't know, forever? Riles, Riley, Sugar. I call you a lot of things, most all of them are complimentary."

"You and Lucas, you're the only people that call me that. No way Lucas is smart enough to hack into my computer. No offense, but I don't think you are either."

"You lost me, I thought we were talking about Farkle's broken heart."

"Someone hacked into my Journal, and I think they were maybe watching me somehow, through the camera on my laptop."

"I wish I were that smart. I'd be hacking Riri's computer, not yours."

"I need to talk to Farkle and have him look at my laptop. I have internet security and all that stuff, but I bet he could figure it out."

"He is the boy genius. Plus, the only way to be sure he isn't crushing on you is to talk to him. Don't go breaking his heart, like you did Lucas." He accused.

"Please! Lucas is way more in love with himself than he ever was with me. Besides, he had plenty of girls lined up to help him heal."

"True, I was just teasing. But Farkle is pretty sensitive, better let him down easy."

"Don't worry Zay, I'm going to explain everything to him." Farkle was her oldest friend. Maybe it was time to tell him the whole truth.

***

"Dear Journal, Thanks for being here for me. Things are starting to make more sense now. No wonder I like cheerleading so much and really didn't like Lucas at all. Writing it down makes it easier. Now that you know, maybe I can tell someone else, someone real; someone like Farkle. I'm off to talk to him this afternoon, I'll let you know how that goes. I have to tell my Mom and Dad soon, but I'm not ready for that. I know they'll be cool about it, they're basically Hippie Liberals. See you later Journal."

She waited for a few minutes, curious and hopeful. On the one hand, she might have some nefarious stalker that was perving on her via her Dell, hence the need for Farkle's expertise. Possibly it was just one of her friends, playing a trick on her. But the optimist in her, the girl that still thought Pluto was a planet, was hoping it was something else. Maybe it was someone mysterious, someone interesting, and wonderful. Finally, growing impatient, she closed her laptop and grabbed her car keys. Farkle would be home by now, he couldn't dodge her if he didn't know she was coming.

***

Randolph, the Minkus's butler recognized her and let her in the entry. He picked up the phone at his small desk and pushed a button. Farkle's image appeared on the monitor. "Hey Randolph, what's up."

"Miss Mathews to see you, Sir." 

Riley didn't need to hear him to know that he groaned, she could see his face on the small screen. "Farkle, I need your help! Some pervert is hacking into my computer." She said quickly. She and Randolph watched his face contort in thought. Failing to arrive at an excuse not to see her, he finally asked Randolph to send her up. She got in the elevator and rode it to the fourth floor, Farkle's level.

He sat at his desk, three books open in front of him, a mathematical equation written on a white board a short distance away. He didn't get up. "What's up Riley? I was just about to crack this."

"Crack it later, Butthead. You've been ignoring me for almost a week."

"Have not." He said petulantly. "I've been busy. What's wrong with your laptop?" He stretched out a hand, but Riley put the device on the floor, pulled up a chair and slid it over so that she was directly in front of him.  
She reached out and took both of his hands. "We have to talk."

"No we don't, Riley. I get it." He smiled sadly. "We're always going to be just friends. I'll admit, it was nice kissing you, but I know you're not looking for a guy like me. You want someone more like Lucas, and that's okay. We'll both find someone who is right for us, someday."

"Farkle, I love you so much, but just as a best friend, you know that. I have to tell you something you don't know. Something I am just figuring out myself. This is between us for now, okay? You can't tell anyone, especially not big-mouth Zay." 

"He is really bad at keeping secrets. So what is it Riley?"

"I don't want someone like Lucas, or you, or any guy, Farkle. I think I just like girls." Riley sat back and took a breath. That wasn't that hard!

"You're not just saying this to let me down easy, are you?" 

"God, you men are such narcissists! No Farkle, this is not about you. Seriously, I finally started writing about it and it came to me. I don't have to be with a guy. The thought of being with Lucas creeped me out, and it isn't just because he's a doofus, it's because I want to be with a girl. I just always thought I had to be like Corey and Topanga, now maybe it'll be Riley and Corina instead."

"Woah! So it isn't me, it's you."

"Again, we are talking about me now. I feel liberated, be happy for me?"

"I was kidding. Seriously, I am really happy for you." He wrapped her in a hug for a long time and they both came away with their eyes wet. 

"So really, I wanted to show you what's going on with my laptop, see if you can figure out if some pervert is hacking into my account. I taped the camera shut so they can't look at me. I was writing about coming out. I kind of talk to my Journal, like therapy I guess, but this time it talked back. Here, I'll open it for you." She found the entry and slid the screen over to Farkle. "Goodnight Journal" "GOODNIGHT RILES"

"Lucas calls you Riles, doesn't he?"

"Huckleberry couldn't hack a gumball machine."

Farkle laughed. "What about this last entry?"

"What last entry?" Riley tried to pull the laptop away, but Farkle held on to it.

"You called your parents Hippie Liberals, then signed off."

"Yeah, so. They are Hippie Liberals."

"But then someone responded: WHAT IS HIPPIE?"

"Alright Farkle, what the hell? Is it somebody from our class, or some perp, or the FBI?"

"Somebody with really good computer skills Riley. I can't get a trace of an IP address, or any record that they even left a message. That shouldn't be possible. When did you first notice the camera light flickering?"

"Just a few days ago, why?"

"I'm not the best hacker in the world, but I probably am one of the best in this city, and I have no idea how they did this. If we can't track them down electronically, maybe we can figure it out the old-fashioned way. They almost have to know you, to call you Riles, don't you think?"

"Probably, but not necessarily. Lucas came up with it after five minutes, like a pet name for me. Ew!"

"Zay calls you that, but if he was that interested he'd just say so."

"Definitely not you?" Riley raised an eyebrow.

"Promise you, not me. I find it interesting that the first time they responded was right after you talked about realizing you are gay. Maybe you have a secret admirer that's another girl."

""That would be kind of exciting. There are a bunch of girls in school that I've thought about that way. Like when we were in the locker room after Cheer, I would imagine us kissing and stuff. Not that I ever did that, but I sure thought about it, sometimes." She finished lamely.

"And yet you it took you until now to figure out the gay thing?"

"I was in denial, Farkle. The queen of de Nile, get it?"

"Well, whoever this is took an interest as soon as you started opening up about being attracted to girls. I'm guessing you don't want me reading back through the older posts."

"You're guessing right, but it's all boring stuff anyway. I've lead a very sheltered life."

"Maybe it's time you didn't, at least on paper, or in this case, computer screen."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't understand how this person is hacking you, or why. But they seem to know you and be personally invested. Since they only posted twice, we don't have much to go on, but we know they took more of an interest once you got real about your sexuality. I'd bet they have a crush on you. I suspect they were using the camera, though I can't prove it. Maybe you could put on a little show for them."

"Farkle! What if it's some crazy Silence of the Lambs dude wanting to murder me in my sleep?"

"He would have done it by now. My money is on someone you know, probably another girl, and someone who got interested when they found out you were gay. But that still raises the question of who would be smart enough to hack…" They looked at each other suddenly. "Smackle?"

"No way Farkle. She was way too into you, and she never really liked me much. I think she figured I was after you or she wanted Lucas, either way, kind of a jealousy thing."

"Maybe just a ploy, maybe she was always secretly after you?" Riley shook her head. "Alright, whoever it is, maybe we can trap them into revealing themselves or at least giving us more clues. Maybe drop a hint now and then about how lonely you are, talking to the Journal of course. Maybe you should uncover the camera. Be sure you look really nice and when you're doing your Journal entries, don't wear much, maybe just your bra and underwear. That'll get their attention!" Farkle laughed uproariously.

"Oh yeah, maybe I can start a website, five dollars a minute. I'm not doing that! Are you sure you're not my secret stalker? You're enjoying this way too much."

"Come on Riley. You said right in your Journal that you wanted something to happen, something different. I'm not suggesting you encourage voyeurism, but you have the goods, why not use them to figure out who this is? It could be somebody creepy, but it could be somebody amazing."

"Way, way more likely to be somebody creepy."

"Anybody smart enough to hack your laptop and not leave a trace is certainly smart enough to find you any time they wanted, and your still alive. At the very least it will be interesting. Maybe it is Smackle. You should be able to figure that out from the things she says."

"We don't know if this mysterious person will ever write back again."

"Just do what you did in those other posts, share your honest emotions about coming out, talk to the Journal like it's a person and see if it responds. My bet's on Smackle, maybe she is secretly gay."

"She broke up with you, so now she's gay, really!" Riley laughed.

"Hey, we're on a break, she might come back if she's not secretly in love with you."

"But Farkle, even Smackle knows what a Hippie is, right?"

"That is an interesting piece of the puzzle. Bra and underwear Riley. Even Einstein couldn't resist the lure of sex."

"I'll keep my clothes on thank you. But I'll try what you said, just put down some real feelings. It'll be therapeutic at least, and I'll be writing something. Better than staring at the screen all night with nothing to say."

***

"Dear Journal, sorry I missed talking to you yesterday. I spent most of the evening with my friend Farkle again. I told him I only like girls. Now it's just you and him that know my secret. I don't think my parents have a clue. How could they, when I just figured it out myself? Topanga might know, she seems to always be one step ahead of everybody. My Dad will probably like the idea, no reason to lock the Bay window anymore. I haven't locked it for a long time anyway. I keep hoping someone will show up, sit there with me and talk about nothing all day, the way best friends do. I used to think I wanted that to be Lucas, but not anymore. I want someone real, not a cardboard cowboy. Bye for now Journal."

She realized she was being harsh. Lucas had always been nice to her and he wasn't a bad person, just oblivious. But she and Farkle had decided that she had to put down what she was really feeling, and that was it. The part about the Bay window might have been a mistake. Axe murderer, the window is unlocked, come on in! She got up, climbed onto the shelf, and turned the latch that locked the window. Farkle and Zay had used it occasionally, but Lucas was afraid of her father and never climbed in that way, thankfully. She brushed her teeth and went back to her computer with some fresh thoughts. 

"WHAT IS TOPANGA?" The Journal asked. 

"Okay Riley, it isn't really the Journal you're talking to, somewhere there is a person pushing those buttons." She sat thinking for a moment, then responded. "A Topanga is a flesh and blood woman, five feet two of the strongest person I know. She loves me all the time but fights with me when she has to. She is good and smart and fierce, and she is my mother. PS: My father is cool too." She was nearly asleep before the reply came back.

"DOES YOUR FATHER NEED A COAT?"

***

"Africa, or maybe Australia." Zay shook his head. "They have to be from somewhere exotic, where they don't speak English very well."

"There are a lot of other options." Farkle snorted. "Nobody knows what a Topanga is unless they've met her. Who names their kid that?"

"But who doesn't know what Cool is? Of course, they haven't met me." Zay smirked.

"Good one." Riley giggled. "But I'm no closer to knowing who she is."

"What makes you sure this person is a girl?" Zay asked.

"I guess I don't know that," Riley shot a look at Farkle. "They haven't said anything offensive, so I'm presuming."

"Good one Riles." Zay laughed again. "I still think you need to be careful, could be the Russian Mafia or somebody like that. I have to head out, I'll see you guys tomorrow at school." He threw some money down for his smoothie and left the Diner.

"Pretty sure the Journal person isn't Smackle." Farkle smiled. "She stopped over last night and I know for a fact she was nowhere near a computer, all night."

"Good for you Farkle, glad somebody has a love life."

"I take it you don't want Zay knowing yet?" Farkle took a drink of his coffee.

"I can't tell him before I tell my parents."

"You told me."

"Mostly because of the kissing business, I was afraid you wouldn't understand otherwise."

"Smackle wouldn't understand, maybe let's not tell her about that for now."

"Are you two back together?"

"Looks that way, she's coming over to my house again tonight to watch movies. Want to come over?"

"I'd be a third wheel. You two just got back together, better take advantage of it and have some alone time. I'll spend the evening with my Journal."

"Have you shown your Journal the good stuff yet?" The young man grinned at her.

"Should I uncover the camera? It's creepy knowing that someone is looking at you without even knowing who they are."

"Maybe wear all your clothes. If they ask you to take stuff off, that's a red flag."

"Duh, you think?"

***

"Hi Journal, it's me again. Farkle is back with his girlfriend, Zay is out looking for one, and I don't care where Lucas is. I have to tell my parents I'm a lesbian. I know they will support me no matter what and I don't know why that makes me afraid. Being gay is pretty well accepted these days, but everyone thought I would be with Lucas, have two kids and live in the suburbs. They will all be shocked that Riley Mathews is gay and is not going to be some man's wife. They don't know me. I hardly know me. Sometimes it's hard, Journal, to know who you are really." 

The Journal responded quickly. "YOU ARE RILEY."

She replied. "Yes, but I am gay, I'm a lesbian." The reply was instant.

"YOU ARE RILEY!"

The brunette smiled as the wisdom of that occurred to her.

"YES, I AM RILEY." She typed, the caps seemed appropriate. 

***

"Mom, Dad, where is Auggie?"

"Where he always is Riley, with his wife." Topanga said rolling her eyes.

"I have to talk to you, it's very important." 

Topanga reached out and pulled the newspaper from Corey's hands, pushed her empty breakfast plate aside, and nodded to Riley. Corey sat up straight. "We are all ears, daughter." 

"I realized recently," She swallowed hard. "I think I might be gay. No, there is no doubt, I know that I'm gay. I tried to make it work with Lucas but I just couldn't be with a guy. I hope you can accept that."

"I never liked that boy." Corey muttered, sliding the newspaper closer. "We love you Riley."

"What your father is saying goes without saying dear. Of course we love you, nothing would ever change that, and certainly not who you choose for a life partner. I know you will find someone wonderful. I'm glad you figured it out before you and Lucas got serious." Topanga said.

"Never liked that boy." Corey said again, picking up his newspaper.

"You two are the greatest!" Riley jumped up hugging them both.

"We are the greatest," Corey crowed. "But not because we accept the fact that you're gay, that's a no brainer."

"You know, I think that's what my Journal was saying too."

***

Riley brushed her hair back from her face and tied it back. She had followed her usual routine, scrubbing her face and brushing her teeth to get ready for bed. She looked at herself in the mirror briefly, then pulled her makeup case out. Just a little eye shadow, a touch of lipstick. She checked her reflection in the mirror, then sat down at her computer desk. After a moment she smiled, reached up and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her pajamas, sliding them open just enough to expose the top of her red laced bra. Then she reached out and pulled the masking tape off the camera aperture on her laptop.

"Dear Journal, let me tell you about the most wonderful parents in the world…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Journal talks back. Is it a Troll?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write obsessively, no sleep and a lot of coffee. When I finish a chapter I can't wait to share, so here it is. One more chapter after this one. I hope the ending will blow your mind!

"Good Morning Journal. Thank you for helping me understand myself. I have brown eyes, brown hair, and legs that are still a little too long for the rest of my body. I am moody sometimes, but I always stick up for my friends and I can carry a tune. Some people even say I am a good singer. I still believe Pluto is a planet, and I am attracted to other girls. I am Riley; and all those things are just the parts that make me who I am. I think it would be wrong if people disliked me because I have brown hair, and I think it's wrong that people dislike me because I am gay." 

It was Saturday morning. Riley had grabbed a quick breakfast. She had a mug of coffee and was curious what her new friend would have to say. It had been a good week. She told her brother, her grandparents, and most of her friends about the fact that she was attracted to girls. A couple of the girls in Cheer were less than supportive and it hurt a little, she wasn't going to lie. Some people thought it was cool to be mean. Perhaps she would have to explain the concept of "cool" to her Journal friend. Who wouldn't know that expression? Whoever it was had to be from a foreign country, didn't they? The Journal responded.

"YOU HAVE VERY PRETTY HAIR."

"What color is your hair?" She tried starting small.

"WHY WOULD PEOPLE DISLIKE YOU?"

"People just seem to find reasons to hate each other. Human nature I guess. I don't think it's right."

"WE DON'T HATE HERE." Riley smiled, sipping her coffee. The Journal was messaging, almost like a real conversation, and whoever it was seemed to be falling into her trap.

"Sounds like a wonderful place. Where is HERE?"

"I HAVE BLOND HAIR." Was the person dodging, or was it a computer glitch? Two could play at that game. 

"Now that I'm out, I will need to find a girlfriend."

"I AM FEMALE."

"Are you coming on to me?" Riley giggled. Eureka!

"WHAT IS COMING ON?" 

Really? Where was this girl from? "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"I WANT YOU TO HAVE JOY."

"Me too. Is your name Joy?" Riley laughed again at her own pun.

"PEOPLE CANNOT HAVE EACH OTHER."

"Is that not allowed where you live?"

"YOU CANNOT HAVE ANOTHER PERSON. THEY HAVE THEMSELVES."

"Okay Journal, that was a joke. Do they have sarcasm where you live?"

"MY NAME IS SABRINA, I AM NOT JOURNAL."

"I'm very happy to finally meet you, Sabrina."

"YOU MAY NOT HAVE ME BUT I WOULD LIKE TO BRING YOU JOY."

"Now we're talking!" This flirting was fun, and exciting.

"WAS THAT SARCASM? WE HAVE THAT HERE."

"Where is here, Sabrina?" That was the big question.

"MY EYES ARE BLUE."

"Are you gay, like me?"

"I AM SABRINA." Wow, this girl was cryptic. If indeed she was a girl, and not a troll.

"How about a picture, or maybe we can video chat. I want to see you."

"WE LOVE WHO WE LOVE. THERE IS NO GAY, JUST LOVE."

"Can we talk, instead of this not quite email chatting?"

"I AM NOT TALL."

"Don't you have enough bandwidth where you live?"

"WHAT IS BANDWIDTH?" This was getting frustrating.

"I have to meet my friends, Journal. I will be back later."

***

"I think it's a Troll, Riley. You better tell your parents and sleep with one eye open. Keep that Bay window locked." Zay said shaking his head. He, Farkle, and Smackle all sat with her at Topanga's Diner, having hot chocolate and scones.

"Absolutely. The internet is full of perverts." Smackle concurred. "I myself was nearly duped by the promise of sexual satisfaction, only to find that I was chatting with a three hundred pound sadist that had grown bored with the Russian bots. Had the FBI not gotten involved, who knows what would have happened?"

"That is a painfully descriptive way of being sympathetic, Dear." Farkle stared at his girlfriend.

"Just saying, it can happen to even the smartest people." Smackle smiled at Riley. "I could have been horribly murdered, and my IQ is at least thirty points higher than Riley's."

Riley glared at Smackle. "Helpful as that is, I really get the idea that this person is nice. She just seems a little dubious, socially. We all know someone like that, right Smackle?" 

"Trolls can be really clever, Riley. Maybe this person is just acting odd to intrigue you. Should I take another look at your laptop, see if I can find an IP address this time?" Farkle asked.

"I'd be happy to help you with that." Smackle said, eyeing Riley suspiciously.

"No, it'll be fine. I'll just be really careful about giving out any information about where I live and stuff like that. I don't do my banking online, plus I have practically no money, so I'm not worried. She just seems to get me, like there is a real connection."

"Mystery girl won't keep you warm at night." Zay said. "You need to find a real live girl, get the motor running, get busy, and get those teenage hormones under control."

"Get the motor running? Is that what I need to do?"

"Yes, you do." He reiterated. "Mooning over some person on the computer is romantic and all, but you need to get your tires rotated."

"God, how many euphemisms are there for having sex? Just say that, I need to have sex."

"I heard that!" Topanga called from the counter.

"Sorry Mom." Riley laughed and lowered her voice. "Sabrina. Her name is Sabrina."

"Like the witch?" Farkle asked.

"Yeah, like the witch, and she's really smart and sensitive."

"Troll, for sure." Zay said, Smackle nodded.

***

"Hello Journal. Sabrina. Is that really your name? My friends think that you are a Troll."

"I HAVE BLOND HAIR. I LIVE IN A MOD, NOT UNDER BRIDGE."

Well, that was a bit of an information slip. A mod was just another word for a tiny apartment, right? "Is your city nice? New York is beautiful, is your city beautiful?"

"YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL."

"You are not very good at answering questions are you. But thank you, I'm glad you think I'm pretty."

"I AM NOT A TROLL."

"Are you beautiful?"

"I AM NOT A TROLL!"

"You have the concept of sarcasm down. But really, are you pretty? You sound pretty."

"I HAVE HEARD THAT I AM. MY LEGS ARE NOT LONG." Insecurity?

"YOU ARE SABRINA!" Riley typed laughing.

"TOUCHE'. SARCASM?"

"Even if you are a Troll, you must be a very cute one."

"I AM NOT A TROLL."

"Then I hope that you are gay, because I really like you."

"THERE IS NO GAY."

"Okay, whatever you want to call it. I like you a lot."

"WORDS. IT IS LOVE."

"You can be whatever you want Sabrina, just keep writing me back, okay?"

"I HOPE IT BRINGS YOU JOY."

"I hope I bring you Joy also."

"YOU ARE RILEY." Like that was enough!

She spent the afternoon, chatting with the odd girl that lived in a Mod somewhere. Perhaps her new friend was a little socially inept like Smackle; perhaps the connection was bad or she didn't speak English well, it was hard to know. At times the replies didn't make a lot of sense, and at times they were so insightful it tore her heart out.  
But one thing she knew for sure, this Sabrina person got her motor running, or she wanted to change her tires? Something like that. Zay was an idiot sometimes.

***

"So there are a couple other girls in the class like you, you know." Zay said over lunch in the cafeteria.

"Like me? Perky and filled with optimism?" 

"Okay, I get it. I will try to be more sensitive, but I'm a guy. I talked to Aly in Drama, and she thinks you're hot. You should talk to her. And there's Charlotte, and Chia. All very nice girls that share your perkiness and appreciation for the female form."

"I don't know, I don't really feel like getting set up."

"Varoom Riley, get that motor running." Zay laughed.  
"I know it's weird, but I'd feel like I was cheating on Sabrina."

"Riley!" Farkle raised both his hands, exasperated. "It's been months! No video chats, no information on where this person lives, not even a picture, which would probably be fake. And still no IP address, that's not even possible. Face it, maybe this Troll is just really good at telling you what you want to hear."

"She's not a Troll, Farkle. She is a real, sensitive, wonderful girl. She sometimes has trouble communicating, but maybe she is dyslectic or speaks a different language."

"Russian would be my guess." Zay nodded.

"So what if it was? She understands me. Maybe she had trouble realizing she was gay too. She makes me really happy, why is that wrong?" She started to tear up.

"Riley, it's okay. We aren't trying to be mean, but we're worried about you. You never go out, all you do is sit in your room and chat with this person. Have you talked to your parents about it?"

"I'm a senior in high school and I'm nearly eighteen, Farkle. I know you're just trying to protect me, but I know this girl doesn't mean me any harm, she really cares about me. And I care about her. I think I maybe love her."

"Ho boy!" Zay said. "Riles, how can you love someone you haven't even met? If she's not some fat guy sitting in his basement, she may be hideous."

"She is beautiful, Zay. Don't be so shallow. I don't care what she looks like, she is sweet and caring and not judgmental, which is more than I can say for you!"

"Riley," Farkle tried. "Please, at the least, make her tell you where she is from, get an address and some way to verify that she isn't that fat guy in his basement!"

"That fat guy in his basement is a lot nicer to me than you two right now! I will talk to Sabrina about this again and try and get proof for you two jerks, but right now I'm mad!" She jumped up, grabbed her food tray and stomped out of the cafeteria.

"Wow dude, now you did it." Zay snickered.

"Me? You brought up the fat guy. I'll call her later, she won't stay mad long." Farkle said.

"I just hope we're wrong. I hope it is the love of her life and she gets that happily ever after somehow."

"Me too, Zay, but my money is on the Troll." Zay nodded glumly.

***

"Riley, can I come in?" It was her mother.

"What's up Mom?" Topanga glanced at her laptop, which was sitting on her desk, and closed.

"Farkle stopped by the Diner. He is worried about you." 

"Oh my God! Why can't he just mind his own business!" The brunette ranted. 

Topanga sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. "The same reason I can't Riley. He loves you, and he wants you to be happy. People need people Riley, flesh and blood, not just someone on the internet, no matter how wonderful they seem."

"She gets me Mom, like nobody else." Riley sat next to her mother and allowed a long warm hug. "Are you going to take my computer away?" 

"You're too old for that Sweetie. You're basically an adult, and we raised you to make smart decisions. But you have to admit that you tend to be a little too trusting. You’re the only person I know that insists Pluto is…."

"Don't say it!" Riley blurted out. "Pluto will always be a planet in this room!"

"Of course, my mistake." Topanga laughed. "But Farkle and Zay both know you may be too quick to trust, they're worried and so am I. At least have a conversation with this person, get them to verify who they are somehow. If it is a Troll, he will be hearing from your lawyer. If it is the sweet girl you believe her to be, she should have no problem proving it somehow. If her computer connection is so poor, how can she get into yours the way she does?"  
"I don't know. If I'm being honest, that part bothers me too. A phone call should be possible. We're messaging at eight, I'll ask her. I'll put my foot down and get a picture or something. She isn't a Troll Mom. I'm really sure of it."

***

"Dear Journal. Is Sabrina real? My friends and my parents are both worried that she is not, that she's just some pervert trying to get a kick out of messing with a lonely young girl. A small, a very small part of me is afraid that they might be right. Tell me Journal, why won't she show me she is real? Anyone with an internet connection can video chat, can't they? Tell me Journal. Am I being played for a fool?" It was well after eight before the reply came.

"I AM NOT JOURNAL, I AM SABRINA."

"Are you? I started writing this Journal to find answers and to understand myself. Then one day the Journal started talking back to me, sharing feelings and helping me find the answers I needed. And I discovered the person in my Journal understood me, sometimes better than I did myself. My Mom and friends both say that I need a real person in my life, but I am starting to care deeply for the person writing back to me. Tell me I'm not a fool, Journal. Sabrina, am I a fool for falling in love with you?"

"YOU ARE RILEY. I AM NOT A TROLL." Tears had started on Riley's cheeks.

"Prove to me you are real, please!"

"DO NOT CRY. I CANNOT VIDEO."

"Why? Are you in Iran or North Korea? Why can't you video chat, or call my cell?"

"IT IS NOT ALLOWED. I AM NOT TROLL!"

"PROVE IT, DAMN IT." Riley was crying harder. She pulled some tape from her drawer and covered the camera aperture again. "There. You don't have to watch me cry. If I can't see you, you can't see me."

"YOU ARE VERY BEAUTIFUL."

"Look at a magazine, Troll."

"SARCASM? APPLIED FOR PERMIT."

"A permit? A permit to video chat or call?"

"WE DON'T HAVE THAT HERE."

"Where is HERE! There's a lot you don't do there, wherever it is. My friends are right, I need a real person. Someone who IS here."

"I WANT YOU TO HAVE JOY."

"And I want to have joy with you! Where is HERE? Tell me!"

"I AM NOT TROLL. PLEASE."

"I'm done. I am not a complete idiot. I would be better off with a girl from my school. Goodbye Sabrina."

"IT IS NOT ALLOWED! PLEASE BELIEVE! NOT TROLL."

"Sorry. I need a break from this. This isn't real."

"IT IS. LOVE IS REAL."

"Zay is right, this isn't love. I have been fooling myself. I will come back, after I've had some time to think. Give me some time okay?"

"I WANT YOU TO HAVE JOY!"

"Me too." Riley said aloud as she closed her laptop.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Troll or not? The truth is revealed.

"Hey Riles!" Zay bumped against her shoulder. "Varoom, Varoom! I heard you and Aly had quite a night. Get that motor running?"

Riley laughed at her nosy friend. "I'm not going to kiss and tell Zay. Okay, I will admit we had a nice time, and she is a good kisser. She wasn't all handsy like Chia. If I wanted to be groped I'd still be going out with Lucas."

"Groping can be fun Riley."

"All in good time. Aly is okay, we'll see. We didn't have a lot to talk about."

"Still, she's a real girl." He said cautiously. "Still chatting with Sabrina?"

"Once a week. I told her that was it until she can prove she isn't a fat guy in a sweat suit. I feel bad. She says she is saving money for the permit."

"Is permit another word for bribe? A lot of those countries you have to pay to play."

"Well, I left the tape on the camera so she can't see me. If it is just some pervy dude, you'd think he'd give up and go away."

"Even if it is a girl, what's the point if you can't get together? She's probably from one of those countries on the no-fly list. Good luck getting her in the country then."

"I don't know, Zay. It sounds like her country is pretty liberal, really enlightened even. They don't call people gay, they say it's all love, and they don't hate."

"And she didn't know what "cool" meant. She's blond, right? Denmark, Sweden?"

"She could call me from those places without needing a permit."

"Occam's Razor, the most logical explanation is the usually the right one, your Dad taught me that. Fat guy in his basement."

"That's an over simplification." Farkle said as he walked up. "Occam's Razor only implies that, but it requires the elimination of the wrong answer by provable observation. We cannot say for certain that Sabrina is not a beautiful young girl because we cannot verify that with evidence." 

"Yeah, so there!" Riley pointed her tongue at Zay. "I don’t need evidence. My heart tells me she is real."

"Still, Aly is here, and she thinks you're very nice. Varoom, varoom." Zay laughed.

"Farkle, have you calculated the possibilities? I know you love a science mystery." Riley asked.

"This person is kind of clueless, has blond hair, can't text or chat, but lives in some sort of Utopia where people don't hate and except homosexuals without question. That narrows things down considerably. There is only one solution that I can come up with." Riley and Zay both stared, waiting. Finally, Riley poked him. He laughed and continued.

"Cult. She is a member of a cult somewhere, isolated from the world and without cellphone access. Somehow, she has access to a super computer and the intellect to hack into yours. It doesn't explain how she ended up in your computer, if she doesn't know you. Unlikely it was random. It's a weak theory, and I suspect the simpler interpretation of Occam's Razor is still correct. She's probably a Troll."

"I will ask her about the cult thing when we message Friday night."

"No date with Aly?" Zay smiled.

"We are going to do something Saturday. Friday nights are for Sabrina."

"Let me know who is more fun to kiss." Zay laughed as he walked away.

Riley glared at his back. "I know he's right Farkle, I should go for it with Aly, but it just doesn't feel right."

"You just started dating girls, Riley. It may take a while to find one you really like."

"Sabrina always feels right. I know you're wrong, it's the exception to what's his names rule. She is a real girl."

***

"Dear Journal, It was a long week. I miss you! I went out on a date. She is kind of nice, and REAL, but she doesn't understand me like you do." 

"WHY AM I JOURNAL?"

"Sorry. I'm being petty, I'm punishing you for not calling me."

"NOT PETTY, YOU ARE RILEY."

"I wish that I could touch you."

"ME TOO."

"That is a good answer. Usually you say you want to bring me joy."

"TOUCH YOU, BRING YOU JOY." 

"Your getting better at this. Will that ever happen?"

"IT IS DIFFICULT."

"Because the permit is expensive?"

"IT IS ALLOWED. BUT IT IS DIFFICULT."

"Are you free? Are you locked up, or in a cult?"

"WHAT IS CULT?"

"When will I really get to see you Sabrina? I am trying to believe you, but it is hard when you don't explain things and you talk in riddles."

"PERMIT SOON." 

Riley leaned forward and ripped the tape off the camera. "Screw everybody," She muttered. "I trust this girl." Then she typed again. "When will you have this permit?"

"IT IS COMPLICATED."

"Then, when will I finally get to see you?"

"IT IS COMPLICATED."

"You can't say when I'll see you?"

"IT IS NOT ALLOWED!"

"So, you're just going to call me one day? You're finally going to get this mysterious permit, and call or video chat, or whatever?"

"PERMIT SOON." Riley reached out to slam the laptop shut but stopped herself just in time. More words appeared on her screen. "DON'T BE ANGRY RILES. PLEASE!" Riley smiled at the screen.

"You are getting better at expressing yourself. So, I will see you at some point in the future, but you can't tell me when, because it's not allowed. And you can't explain this, because that's not allowed. And you can't tell me where HERE is, because that is not allowed either."

"YOU ARE VERY BEAUTIFUL. THANK YOU." 

"I want you to see me, even if I can't see you. If you are a Troll, you are the most persistent, creative one ever."

"SARCASM. NOT A TROLL!" Riley started giggling, then convulsed with laughter. Finally, she got back to her keyboard.

"You bring me joy. I must be nuts."

"WHAT IS NUTS?"

***

"You should come to my hockey game." Aly insisted for the third time. "We're going to go have some beers after at Tracy's house. We can stay overnight."

"I guess I'll come watch if you want. I don't know anything about hockey."

"Better learn Babe, I'm one of the star players."

"Isn't having a few beers a good way to get thrown off the team?" Riley wasn't thrilled by the nickname, or the assumption that she'd make hockey or Aly a regular thing.

"Private party, only players and their significant others. That's why we need to stay over, so people aren't coming and going and attracting attention."

"I guess, I'll talk to my folks."

"Kind of old to need permission, aren't you?"

"I just don't want to worry my parents."

"Okay Babe, I'll see you later." She leaned in and kissed the cheek Riley offered. Farkle walked up.

"How's that going? Aly seems to really like you."

"She doesn't have a lot of other options. If she calls me Babe one more time, there may be violence."

"Yikes! Are you going to her hockey match, and the party after?"

"I thought the party was private."

"If you consider most of the school private, sure." 

"Couple of beers and Aly will look pretty good Riley." Zay grinned as he walked up. "She says you're staying over, varoom, varoom!"

"Bite me Zay." Riley turned and stomped away, leaving the two boys slightly shocked.

***

Riley tried, but she didn't care for hockey. It was slightly less violent than the boy's version, but not much. For a small girl, Aly liked to get in the middle of things and spent a lot of time in the penalty box. After the game Riley waited dutifully, then went back to Aly's house to get ready for the party. Her mother was a sweet woman that Aly ignored. She dragged Riley up to her bedroom.

"Aly, slow down." Riley pushed the girl away. There was groping.

"Riley, we're spending the night together, I just want a preview. This is our third date."

"That's not a rule you know. Let's go to the party and just have some fun."

"Sure, a few beers sound great don't they Babe?"

There were a lot of beers, and a lot of people. Riley poured down a couple right away, hoping that lowering her inhibitions might make the idea of sex with Aly more tolerable. But even drunk, tolerable didn't seem good enough for your first time, or ever. Aly must have suspected as much, because she disappeared after an hour with a redhead from another school. Riley did her best to drown her sorrows. She succeeded admirably.

Farkle and Zay were both there, with a tipsy Smackle in tow. Fortunately, Farkle was the sober driver because they needed one. Riley latched onto to Zay.

"Zay, sorry I yelled at you. There'll be no varooming tonight!" She giggled. "I think Aly is out starting somebody else's car. These Goodyears are going to stay right where they're at."

"Goodyears? What are you talking about?" 

"Tires! It was your analogy. She wanted to rotate my wheels, but I said no thanks." 

"You're drunk Sugar, sit down here." He sat on the couch and she collapsed next to him, putting her head on his shoulder.

"If I liked guys Zay, I'd be all over you right now, you know that, right?" She smiled dreamily.

"Yeah, I should be so lucky. You'll find someone Riles."

"I have found someone. Someone that's absolutely perfect. But she can't afford the damn permit. She needs a special license to get with me." That struck Riley as hilarious, and she giggled herself to sleep. 

Zay sat patiently, drinking beer and supporting Riley on his shoulder until Farkle and Smackle were ready to leave. Together they carried her out to the car and poured her into the back seat. By the time they got to the Mathews' Brownstone she had sobered enough to walk into the house under her own power. She waved and fumbled for her keys. Her mother opened the door, glaring. 

"On a positive note, you made it almost all the way through high school without this happening." Topanga pointed out as they sat at the kitchen table. Riley had inhaled two glasses of water and was working on some coffee when Corey walked in. "How was bowling with Shawn?" Topanga asked him.

"Great! I bowled one forty-two, a personal best." He looked at Riley. "What's with this one?"

"Drunk! Jilted by the girl she didn't like anyway." Topanga deadpanned.

"Thanks Mom, way to throw me under the bus." Riley put her forehead on the cold table, it felt good.

"Did you give her the talk?" Corey asked.

"She knows better, I didn't see any point in rubbing salt in the wound. I'd ground her, but she never leaves the house."

"That is a problem. Maybe I'll get her up at six when Auggie and I go to pick up garbage at the field. That'll teach her!"

"I will murder you in your sleep." Riley threatened. "Believe me, I am not going to do this again anytime soon. Can I go to bed?"

"Goodnight Riley. See you at six." Corey smiled.

"Don't you dare! Love you guys." Riley stumbled to her room and pulled her clothes off, then wandered into the bathroom and stuck a toothbrush in her mouth. She got into her pajamas and laid down on her bed, putting one foot on the floor. Someone once said it would stop the room from spinning, but her stomach didn't agree. She dozed a little, then leaned forward to pull the covers down so she could slide under them.

Somehow, she stopped the scream that started in her throat. She choked on her sudden fear, then gasped loudly, trying to slow her breathing and the wild beating of her heart. The moon had just cleared the New York skyline, illuminating the room and the Bay window with its soft light.

A girl, or young woman sat quietly on the deck of the window. She had her knees drawn up to her chest and her long blond hair fell across her shoulders and spilled all the way down her back. Her red lips stood out sharply against the glow of her alabaster skin. Even in the poorly-lit room Riley could see her eyes, cerulean orbs that seemed to shine with a light of their own. She wore light colored pants and a paisley colored shirt without any buttons. 

Riley got up from the bed and walked toward the beautiful blond girl. She knew who it was, but she had to ask. "Sabrina? Is it really you?"

"Hello Riley Mathews, it brings me joy to meet you. It's wonderful to talk, finally. I know my messaging didn't always make sense, but there is a lot we aren't allowed to say. You are even more lovely than you're image." Riley drew a breath and rushed across the room. 

Sabrina threw up a hand. "Stop. You can't touch me!" 

Riley leaned forward, inches from the girl's face. "All I've wanted for months, is to be able to touch you." She wailed.

"You would disrupt the transfer and the projection will be destroyed."

"Projection? You aren't real?" She glanced at the window, it was still locked. "But you are so incredibly pretty. I love your hair and your eyes, everything. You look fucking amazing. Sorry I'm swearing, I'm still a little drunk."

"Drunk?"

"We drink alcohol and get stupid. It's supposed to be fun. You aren't real? Are you a hologram or something?" Riley studied the apparition, she certainly looked real.

"Primitive term, but it's kind of like that." Riley got as close as she dared and realized she could see the far wall, through the girl's head.

"Are you an alien? Is HERE a different planet?" Sabrina's laughter was like soft music.

"No silly, I am from the Earth. How altered are you?"

"Not enough. I am a little tipsy, but I had coffee and a bunch of water."

"I couldn't say it over the Slip, not even the slightest hint. It is strictly forbidden."

"The Slip?"

"Don't panic, okay? It cost me a small fortune to come here and talk to you like this, so I don't want you passing out and missing it. I only have a few minutes. Slip is short for Time Slip, Riley. As in, from the future. I've been communicating with you from there."

Riley laughed softly, but stopped when the blond girl didn't join in. She stepped back and slapped herself across the face really hard, first with one hand, then the other. "Damn, doesn't seem like I'm dreaming."

"This isn't a dream Riley. I wish it would have been possible to tell you when this was going to happen, but there are too many variables, and it is forbidden, like I said."

"That's why you don't have an IP address, isn't it?"

"Don't know what that is. Devices aren't my thing. My contribution is Art. We all do our share."

"We're all communists in the future?" Again, the musical laughter filled the room.

"Not exactly, but I have read about that system. We are rewarded for our individual efforts."

"This is all a big joke, isn't it!" Riley laughed. She looked around the bedroom. "Farkle! Come out, I know you're doing this somehow!"

The pretty blonde smiled demurely. "Would this Farkle have me tell you how deeply I have fallen in love with you?"

"No, he knows how I feel about you too, he wouldn't do something that cruel. But you could still be a Troll, a really smart Troll from the future!" Sabrina smiled and shook her head. Riley blinked and the tears started to fall suddenly. "I just realized something. If this is all real, if you really are from the future, this is as close as I will ever get to you. I will never be able to kiss you, touch you, or make love with you."

"If that were true I would never have come. Also, I would never have found you in the first place."

"I don't understand, any of this."

"I'm not sure I do, completely. I'm an artist, not a time scientist. I was looking through the archives of the National Gallery one day about a year ago, and I found a painting of a beautiful young woman. It had been preserved for centuries, many centuries. But the thing is, the painting was of you Riley. I started falling in love with you that day, when I first saw that smile of yours. Then I tracked you down through all of time and started communicating with you. I fell more in love with you every time we wrote to each other, until I knew I could never stop being in love with you. Now, here I am."

"Wow, that is so romantic. But still, you're not really here. How can we ever be together?"

"There is a way. The Powers control communications like this, because too many visits might reveal things that shouldn't be known. That's why the permit is so expensive, I had to be investigated because they need to protect the Time continuum. But physical jumps are free, encouraged even. It helps with population control, opens up a space for someone's child. That is the one thing the Powers are absolute dicks about. Too many people in the world caused the Great wars, before the Enlightenment. In my time the world's population is tightly controlled."

"Holy shit!" Riley exclaimed, wide-eyed. "That's all I've got. Holy shit!" 

The blonde in the Bay window laughed again. "I can't say too much, but most of what I know happens long after this point in time anyway."

"So why the image? Why didn't you just show up, body and all, if it's free. I want to kiss you, so badly."

"Me too." Sabrina said, gazing down at Riley lips. "But it's a one-time thing. Time travel is possible only if you go back. No one can move forward in time, not possible, not ever."

Riley thought about that for a long moment. "You would do that, give up your life in the future, for me?"

"Most people never find what we have Riley. I love my life, but you're not in it in my time. It's an easy choice really, a choice that has already been made." 

"You lost me again, not surprisingly." Riley had pulled up a chair, staring at the apparition, transfixed.

"That's probably the coolest part of all. Did I use that slang correctly?" Riley laughed and nodded. "I told you I found a painting of you, right?" Riley nodded again. Sabrina paused, enjoying the theater of the moment. 

"When I found that painting and looked to see who had painted it, guess what I discovered?" Riley shook her head, a blank look on her face. Sabrina beamed. "I painted it, Riley. I was the artist. I found the picture of you that I had painted, the painting that made me fall in love with you and come back here, to one day be the person who painted that picture. It's a paradoxical circle, and you're the center of it."

"I'm dizzy, and I don't think it's the beer." Riley said. "So my life is set, you and me?"

"If you wish, if not, we could break the continuum." The blonde looked crestfallen.

"Oh, hell no!" Riley shrieked. "That's not what I meant. This is greatest thing ever. I can't wait for the day when I introduce you to Farkle and Zay. They are going to eat so much Crow!"

"The horrible noisy black bird? Why would anyone eat a crow?" Sabrina grimaced.

"More twenty-first century slang." Riley couldn't stop grinning. "This explains so much. How does it work? Are you coming tomorrow? Cripes, you could come last week or anytime you want, couldn't you?"

The apparition in the window giggled. "No, there is a correlation factor, it will be a couple years in your time before I get approval. But it is already a part of our history and the board would never change it! You will be in college and I will come here and go to Art school. We will get our own apartment and be married eventually. The next time I come it will be the real me, the flesh and blood version. Will you wait for me, Riley Mathews?"

"I love you damn so much! Do you have to ask? Can I still write to you tomorrow, right away?"

"Of course. This conversation happened twelve centuries ago, where I am now. Remember, not a word in any of our transmissions about time travel, or any of this. I will have to go back to sounding socially stunted."

"That's the girl I fell in love with. I am so happy!" Riley started jumping gleefully around the room.

There was a noise from the hall. "Riley! What is going on in there?" Corey Mathews knocked on the door and stuck his head into the room. Riley looked at him fearfully, but when she turned back to the Bay window the small blond girl had disappeared. 

"I was singing Dad. The moon is so beautiful, and I am so much in love!" 

He beamed at her. "Well, that's wonderful Riley, goodnight then."

***

The next morning, Riley opened her laptop and loaded her Journal page.

"Dear Journal, for a while I thought I would have an ordinary life, have a boring boyfriend and marry a boring man. Then I started writing to you. Now I am in love with an incredible person that is a girl, and I know that my life will never be ordinary or boring again. Why am I so lucky?" 

She broke into a huge smile when the Journal replied.

"YOU ARE RILEY!" 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a departure from my usual stuff, hope you liked it! Comments are appreciated. I'll be back with more Rilaya soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big day is getting close?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't stop at four chapters!

"Hey Sugar, are you coming to the party tonight?" Zay dropped his books on the floor and put his tray on the table. The cafeteria food at NYU wasn't bad, he didn't hate it.

"I will, if you promise me that dumb roommate of yours will keep his hands to himself."

"Calvin doesn't buy the girlfriend thing Riley, not that that's an excuse. But he thinks you're into him, he says you're always staring at him."

"Glaring, Zay. Glaring is not staring. I have told him fourteen times I'm not interested, in him or any guys. Any girls either! I have a serious girlfriend, case closed."

"Oh yeah, the mysterious Sabrina. I thought once we got in college and you looked around, saw all the talent, you'd opt for a real person."

"Talent? Like the girls in your theater group? They seem talented."

"Talent! That's guy talk for hot women!"

Riley looked at him and sighed. "Sometimes I don't understand why we're even friends."

"Definitely an unexplainable quirk of Fate, that's for sure. But you're the only one of my friends that is "dating" a Troll. Not that I'm judging! Whatever floats your boat. If you want to keep insisting that this person is real and will eventually show up and be this beautiful tiny blond chick, fine. We all have fantasies. But don't you ever get…you know."

"Horny?" Riley giggled.

"I could understand you getting busy with her if you could actually video chat, maybe even phone sex, but just typing back and forth? Not very sexy, that would ruin it for me. "

"Romantic Zay, not everything is about sex. Granted I'm looking forward to that."

"Wonder what this person really looks like?"

"She is so beautiful, her hair, her blue eyes, …"

"I thought you didn't have any pictures? I thought there was some crazy policy in her commune about sending photographic information online?"

Riley bit her lip. The rule was never, ever, say anything to raise suspicion. "Yeah. They monitor everything she does. I can't wait until she gets out and comes to this country."

"What are you two talking about?" Farkle slid into the chair cross from Riley. "Are you picking on her again about her Sabrina fantasy? Let her have her fun, Zay."

"She's real, you two are going to both crap your pants when you see her." Riley smiled confidently.

"It isn't good to force reality on people when they're completely delusional." Smackle said as she handed Farkle an apple and sat down with her lunch. 

"Smackle, I'm not delusional. I love Sabrina and she loves me. Our souls are connected. We've talked through my Journal page every day since like, forever. Not talked exactly, but her words are as beautiful as any poetry. Pretty soon her sentence will be up, and she can leave the commune."

"Right. The commune in Kazakhstan that's holding her captive." Farkle nodded. "Perfectly plausible."

"Nice try, but you know very well it's Kyrgyzstan. You're just trying to trick me." It was an elaborate back story, Riley had made notes.

"Having done some research, the whole story is full of inconsistency and implausibility. It is patently absurd and clearly a creation of Riley's mind. Sad what neurosis can do to an otherwise average, but serviceable mind." Smackle mused.

Riley's mouth fell open. "I'm sitting right here Smackle!"

"You should set a date Riley. Commit to a timeline, like a New Year's resolution. I will give up on the fantasy of Sabrina on, whatever date you wish." Farkle reasoned. "Then go cold turkey on this Troll, come back to reality and join the human race."

"You're all going to feel really dumb when you meet my stunningly beautiful girlfriend." Riley laughed aloud. "I'm not going to be nice either, I'm going to rub it in forever!"

"I'm not worried about Sabrina showing up Riles," Zay said sadly. "But you can't help being nice. That's why we all love you so much and want you to give this up. It's been going on for way too long. You need to have a life, find someone."

"Zay, first, I have someone. Second, a person can be single and have a life. I have friends, I go to parties and the movies. I have a job now and I just moved into my own apartment."

"So you and Sabrina can have privacy, that's what you told me." Farkle frowned.

"Well yeah, I don't want my parents hearing everything, things could get noisy."

"What everything?" Zay exclaimed. "Come to my party and hook up with someone! Then you'll have something to yell about."

"I'm an old-fashioned girl Zay, I'm saving myself for Sabrina."

"I give up. Come to the party if you want. I'll talk to Calvin and make sure he doesn't bother you." Zay picked up his tray of uneaten food and stomped away. 

Riley shrugged and picked up her sandwich. "You'll see, that's all I'm saying."

***

"Dear Sabrina, My friends are driving me crazy! They don't get why I don't hookup with someone, or date. I hope our time is coming soon."

NOT SOON 

Riley looked at her screen. That didn't sound good. "Not soon? Problems?"

NOT SOON ENOUGH 

Riley smiled. Communication was difficult when you were twelve hundred and thirty-one years apart. "I can wait. I've waited twenty years to have sex, I can wait a while longer."

WHY

"There was no one before you." Riley congratulated herself, that sounded romantic.

HAVE SEX

"Yes have sex, be with the person you love." Stupid time continuum!

I HAVE SEX

"Of course, soon." She was never sure how much she could say, or if the people of the future even cared that she was horny. "I am waiting."

HAVE SEX

Alright, this was frustrating. Was Sabrina suggesting she have sex with someone else? Had to be problems with what she could and couldn't say. It had always been difficult understanding what she meant at times and some of the things she said made no sense at all. She had explained it the night her projection appeared, government time travel rules, a lot of words were off limits. Bureaucracy in the thirty third century, imagine that. "Yes, there will be sex, because we love each other."

I HAVE SEX

Riley hesitated, a little embarrassed. "Me too, alone in the shower, when I think of you."

ALONE IS NOT SEX

"Until you get here my love." That was pretty romantic too.

ALONE IS NOT SEX

Okay, time continuum or not, that didn't sound good. Sabrina used to have a girlfriend? That was okay, of course there had been girls before her. "It's okay, I thought you might have had sex before."

SEX LAST NIGHT

What the fuck? Was her computer broken?

SEX THREE TIMES 

Riley felt her heart breaking. "Why would you do that Sabrina?" She was still hoping they were just miscommunicating.

TO BRING YOU JOY

"Why the fuck would that bring me joy? Why would you do that to me?"

SARCASM? SEX WITH SAMMY

"So is that it? You're in love with Sammy now? You're not coming. You're going to break, the thing? I thought you loved me." She had started to cry, but she was still careful not to mention the continuum. No point in screwing up all of mankind's future just because she was getting dumped.

COMING SOON TO BRING YOU JOY

"What? I thought you said you were having sex with Sammy?"

THREE TIMES! TO BRING YOU JOY

"HOW THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BRING ME JOY?" The caps were for emphasis. Riley was ready to smash her computer on the floor and stomp on it. "I love you, why would you have sex with Sammy?"

SEX IS NOT LOVE

Riley took a deep breath. Okay, maybe in the future sex was way more casual. But Sabrina could see her, couldn't she see that she was crying? Another message appeared.

MORE SEX TOMORROW!

"Why, Sabrina? Why are you doing this?" She typed frantically.

TO BRING YOU JOY 

It was more than she could stand. "I fucking hate you!" She screamed into the camera. She wasn't sure why the future couldn't receive audio, but she really wanted to give the blond girl the ass chewing she deserved. Crying hard and frustrated she slammed her laptop shut and peeled off her clothes. A quick shower then Zay's party. Just maybe she would bring some joy into another girl's life.

By ten o'clock she had cooled down sufficiently to switch to drinking water. Zay had introduced her to several people, conversations she could barely remember. Too many beers before the water. There were a lot of cute girls, all being wooed by guys, luckily. Had the right girl come along, who knows? Love was hard, she needed advice.

*** 

"Mom, I know I'm supposed to be on my own and everything, but can I stay in my room tonight? I really need you."

It was a short Taxi ride home, and Topanga had coffee on.

"How come you never bug me about Sabrina?" Riley asked, sipping hot coffee and staring glumly across the kitchen table. "Farkle and Zay, Smackle too. They still think she is a Troll, or some sort of horrible person."

"You believe in her Riley, and you've never stopped. I guess I figure you're really in love with this person. From the way you two connect, I can't believe she is some fat guy in his basement. You have been a little obsessed. And I don't know if it's good to presume that if this girl moves to New York, it will automatically work out."

"But I know it will, it's already history."

"What does that mean?"

"Fate, I meant Fate." Riley covered her tracks. "I'm a big believer in Fate."

"I'm a big believer in making your own Fate, Riley. Are you okay? You seem depressed."

"I'm just tired. I'm tired of waiting for her, tired of the communication problems."

"She hasn’t asked you for money?"

"No Mom, don't need a lawyer, I need my Mom. Did Dad ever cheat?"

"This is Corey Mathews we're talking about." They both snickered.

"I think Sabrina did, but it's like it meant nothing to her. And maybe it's not that, maybe it's just a communication problem."

"The whole deal with hacking into your laptop still seems sketchy. But Farkle said it didn't appear dangerous to him, so I let it slide."

"That's part of it. Maybe it's just that they have different ideas about right and wrong where she lives. Maybe having sex with random sluts is normal in their society. She came right out and said it, like it was no big deal, and she seemed surprised that I was mad about it."

"Obviously it's a big deal to you, right?"

"Yeah. I want her to be the only one. She will be for me, but I think she's pretty experienced, the way it sounds. I think sex is supposed to be really special. It sounds like she's doing it all the time."

"There may be places where that is commonplace, but you're certainly not wrong to want to be with just one person. That's why it's important to know the person you're with well before you jump into a relationship. You don't have to think the same way about everything, but you should have basic values like that in common."

"But we message every day, for hours sometimes. I feel like she knows me inside and out, and I thought I knew her. I don't understand how she can be so casual about it. She said sex is not making love. I suppose there's a distinction, but jeez."

"It takes a long time to really know somebody Riley, and you can't do that in a chat room, or whatever this is. I think you're too smart to be duped by someone, and I'm guessing there are things you're not telling me. Maybe sleep on it, then explain to this girl how you feel. Sometimes there are cultural differences that couples can't get over, sometimes they shouldn't. Maybe the boys are right and you should try to find someone here."

"It always comes back to that." Riley smiled a little sadly. Then her expression changed, to one of determination. "But I'm not doing that, I'm Riley Mathews and she does not give up! Thanks Mom, I knew you'd have good advice. I'm feeling a lot better, I think I'll grab a cab and head home. I'm going home and get on my computer. We will work it out, we must have."

"Must have? Will? Pretty sure that's not what I said to do."

"Can you call me a cab, I'm going to grab a couple of things from my room." The girl who still believed in Pluto ran up to her room to get her favorite lamp and a couple books that still sat on her bookshelf. She was just turning out the light when her phone rang. "Hello, Riley's here!" She chimed.

"Yes, I'm in admitting at Metropolitan City Hospital."

"Oh shit! Who's hurt? Is it Zay, Farkle?"

"We have a Jane Doe here. We're hoping you can identify her, maybe put us in touch with her family? She is unconscious and appears to have taken quite a beating. She has bruises everywhere, a possible concussion, a broken arm that's been cast. She had no identification whatsoever, but we found this phone number tattooed, or imprinted somehow, on the inside of her forearm. Any idea who she might be?"

"Really pretty blond girl, legs not long?" Riley choked and started to cry when the nurse agreed with the description. "My cab just pulled up, I'll be there in fifteen minutes!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's finally here!

Riley rushed into the hospital room. Sabrina lay on the bed, unmoving, a small cast on her left arm. She had tubes exiting her arm and a couple more that disappeared under the blankets. Riley touched her forehead and kissed her on the cheek, then started to cry. "Oh God, is this because you came back? You didn't tell me it was dangerous. Please, please be okay. You have to be alright, otherwise the continuum doesn't make sense. Nothing would make sense if I lost you now. You have to be okay, you're all I've thought about for two years. Wake up, please. I don't care about any of those future girls, you're here and that's what matters. I'm yours, you're my love, my heart!"

There was a noise behind her. "Did I hear a name, or was that just some romantic drivel?" Riley spun around, startled. A tall, very severe looking nurse stood glaring at her with a clipboard in her hand. "You know this girl? About damn time somebody showed up. I need a name for the chart." 

Riley starred, thinking as fast as she could, fighting the remnants of intoxication and her fear of the intimidating nurse. Did she dare use Sabrina's real name? She was in love with her, but she didn't even know her last name. My heart, the belligerent nurse had only heard the last couple of words. My heart, she had said; my heart, you are my heart. Think Riley!

"Well, what is it?" The woman demanded again. "Do you know her name or not? I don't have all night, and we have to figure out who's paying for this. If I put down a name, we're covered until she wakes up, then we can figure out the insurance. We get 'em in here like this all the time, no ID's. At least she didn't overdose. A name, Gorgeous!" Riley blinked and the nurse grunted. "For crying out loud, make something up! It's late and I need some kind of a name on this chart."

Riley nodded slowly, wiping away the tears, then smiled. "Yes, her name. It's Heart, like I said. My, um, My…ah…ah, Maya. That's it! Maya Hart, H A R T." She grinned as she spelled it. "Maya Hart! I love that, it means so much. And it is her name." She nodded quickly. "My mother is a lawyer and she can come in first thing in the morning and get all the paperwork squared away."

"Pretty goofy name if you ask me, but if that's all you got, I'll put it down. Until we know about her insurance she's considered a county case." The woman's eyes softened a little, looking at Riley's wet cheeks. "She's going to be fine Honey, there's no sign of brain damage. The doctor gave her something for pain, that's the only reason she isn't awake. Visiting hours are over, but I guess you can stay. She your girlfriend?"

"Future wife." Riley smiled happily, cradling Sabrina's uninjured hand in both of hers.

"Well, she has your heart, right?" The big woman winked and left the room. Riley pulled a chair up next to the bed. She texted her mother, kissed the blond girl's cheek again softly, then made herself comfortable and drifted off to sleep.

***

At two am Riley heard a soft moan and bolted upright. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and leaned over, looking into the blonde's incredible blue eyes. The girl blinked, but didn't seem coherent, so Riley hit the button to summon the nurse. It wasn't the same one. She was short and cheery and gave Riley a big smile. She leaned over Sabrina and looked into her eyes.

"Hello there, Miss Hart, can you speak to me? You're in the hospital and it appears like you've had an accident. Can you remember what happened? Were you assaulted? Can you speak?"

"Hospital? Damn, the Council was right." She mumbled.

"Council? You're in the hospital, Maya." The nurse tried again. "Do you remember what happened to you, how you ended up in the park with a broken arm?"

The blond girl stared at her for a long moment. "Park? Maybe a bicycle? Yeah. Maybe I crashed. No helmet."

The nurse frowned but made a note on the chart. "The EMT's didn't say anything about a bike when they brought you in. A mounted policeman found you and called it in. Somebody must have swiped your bike. You'd think they would have reported your injury. People are so callous these days!"

"Those fuckers!" The blonde said nodding her agreement. 

"I wouldn't put it that way, but I agree. I need to check your vitals."

"Can I talk to Riles first? I've waited for so long."

"Of course, I'm sorry. I'll give you two a few minutes." She smiled at Riley, made another note on the chart and left the room.

"Oh God Sabrina!" Riley leaned down and kissed her repeatedly, lingering as the kisses became softer. When she pulled away they both just stared at each other for another long while. Then Riley did her best to look stern. "So what's with the broken arm and all the scrapes? You said time travel is perfectly safe."

"Yeah, it is." She paused. "I pushed up the date a little and materialized halfway up a tree, nasty fall. I wanted us to be together, I couldn't wait any longer."

"I'm sorry that I yelled at you before, but the whole Journal thing, three, four words at a time, it was driving me nuts. I don't care about what you did in the future, it's behind us. Or is it in front of us? That's confusing."

"Funny." Sabrina winced a little when she chuckled. "But what's wrong? I watched you laugh and smile almost every minute for two years, then you were crying and said you hated me, at least that's what it looked like. You were really upset, I had to come. I hope you're happy to see me."

"Of course I am." The brunette said empathically. "It's nothing, it's just me being Riley, too innocent for my own good. We have plenty of time to figure everything out, the relationship stuff."

"We should start right now, by being honest with each other." She squeezed Riley's hand. "Time travel is perfectly safe, but the time scientists have to pick the best window. They warned me that coming early might be dangerous. Probably lucky I made it. That's the truth. Okay, your turn, tell me what made you so upset."

Riley bit her lip, choosing her words carefully. "I'm sorry I over reacted, you shouldn't have risked getting hurt just because I was freaking out. I know things are probably different there, maybe way different, but I'm an old-fashioned twenty-first century girl. If I'm being honest, I wasn't upset, I was really pissed! I could never be okay with the casual sex thing. I get that maybe sex can be just physical, but I could never do that. Wasn't Sammy upset that you were leaving?"

"Upset? The program is complex, but not to a level of biomechanical consciousness, that would be too expensive. When you remove the battery pack, the system just goes to sleep."

"Huh? You mean Sammy isn't a hot girl?"

"Oh my God Riley!" Sabrina's eyes flew open, then she laughed. "Sammy is an acronym for Sexual Anamyopathic Andragogy, SAMMY for short. That's what sex means, right? At least that's considered sex in my century. Everybody over the age of fifteen has a Sammy for company. People use them before they couple, as a training aid to heighten the sensations of making love. It increases a person's ability to give and receive pleasure. I wanted to be sure I was ready, to give you pleasure." She paused and blushed. "Plus, it's a hell of a lot of fun." 

"I was going completely crazy with jealousy, ready to kill someone, and Sammy is just a high-end vibrator?"

"I don't know what a vibrator is, but some of Sammy's integral stimulators might be what your describing. It's a whole-body experience, incredibly arousing. There are actually treatment centers; people become so addicted they won't leave their Mods."

"I am so stupid! I thought sure you were getting busy with some other girl, and maybe everybody in the future just hooked up whenever they wanted to."

"Hooked up? No need exchange fluids randomly, we have sex with the Sammy until we find a mate. They're government issue. People are much less aggressive and violent when they're relaxed. Sammy is most of the reason there is no crime in my time. But sex isn't love. I want to give you pleasure, because I love you."

"Oh my God, that is sweet, and very enlightened. Semantics! I should have realized it was just a misunderstanding. You didn't happen to smuggle one of those things along, did you?" Riley laughed then started kissing the blonde again, climbing carefully on top of her. "Kidding! I'm guessing having you here in the flesh will make me less aggressive, if you know what I mean."

"This is so amazing, being able to kiss and touch you. Why did the nurse call me by that strange name? The profile package won't arrive until morning."

"She needed something for the chart, and I wasn't sure if I dared use your real name. I didn't know your real last name, so I just kind of made something up. You have my heart, it made sense."

"You were right, they don't want us to use our own names in the past. I was going to decide on something when I got here."

"Mathews, that's my last name, don't know why I never mentioned it." Riley said as she slid off the bed, the nurse had walked by.

"I knew that. The painting I found, it was signed M Mathews. Mostly I recognized my brush strokes."

Riley beamed. "Thank you for taking my last name, someday."

"Carpenter Mathews doesn't have much of a ring to it. I like Maya Hart, feels like that's who I've really been all along. The Commission is sending my settlement package. It will have documents, social security, birth certificate, and a bank transfer. I'll have to be sure I have a health insurance plan, starting a week ago. When I get out of here I'll message back and update the details, retroactively of course. By business tomorrow everything will be in my PO box and in the hospitals computer."

"Why wouldn't you just have that stuff sent to our apartment?"

"Our apartment? Are you ready for that, right away?" Maya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, I don't have a Sammy. I am ready, willing, and eager." She blushed. "I mean, you have to live somewhere, right? God, I can't wait for you to meet everybody. My parents are going to love you so much. My Mom will be here first thing in the morning, I texted her. We can't tell them you're from the future, can we?"

"No, we'll have to embellish on your Cult story, whatever that is."

"We'll work on it, try to make it sound plausible. I hate lying, but we don't want to break Time or make the universe collapse."

"That couldn't happen, but it's another few centuries before people become comfortable with time shifting."

"Wow, you must know so much cool stuff."

"Actually, I was never very good in school. I was always into Art, and people teased me because I have blond hair. It's considered Ditzy. Oh, ditzy means empty-headed, as if I would be dumb just because I'm not a brunette. It's prejudice is what it is! We still have that, even in my time."

Riley blinked. "That is wrong and weird on so many levels." 

"What about the Farkle and Zay, will we take them to out to dinner, to feed them the Crow?" 

"Oh, you know it Sab…Maya! God, I love that name. I'll introduce you to my friends in a few days. Kind of plan to keep you to myself for a while, if you get my drift."

"Drift? Like on the water, when your motor quits running?"

"More slang. My motor won't be quitting anytime soon!" Riley's hand found its way under the blanket.

"Oh, yeah!" Maya said wide-eyed. "Now I get it, my motor is running, or I get your drifting. Whatever you call it, that feels really good. You can teach me twenty-first century slang and I'll teach you what I learned from SAMMY."

"I have a few ideas of my own!" Riley giggled. "We both have a lot to learn Sabrina."

"Start calling me Maya, okay? I'm starting a new life. I'll be Maya Mathews soon, that's how I signed the painting. I must really love you, to take your last name."

"You do, and I love you. It's already history, it's meant to be. Will you move in with me when you get out of here, please?" 

Maya sighed up at the smiling brunette. "Anything you want, Riley Mathews."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See some potential to keep this going, hope you like!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Topanga meets Maya

"Riley, have you slept at all?" Topanga hurried into the reception area of the hospital. "You look terrible, no offense."

"I slept for a few hours in a chair. Maya was in pain, so she couldn't sleep and I kept her company most of the night."

"Maya? I thought this girl's name was Sabrina? This just keeps getting more bizarre! How did she wind up in the hospital her first day here?"

"Tree, I mean bicycle crash, with a tree?" Riley hated lying to her mother, and she was bad at it.

"Likely story, young lady. There is something going on here that you're not telling me. Spill."

The brunette bit her lip. It was too big a secret, even for Topanga. Maybe after she had a chance to talk to Sabrina, rather Maya, they could explain it all. "Sabrina was her cult name and she wants to put that all behind her, bad memories. She was there for years, something about a kidnapping, torture, stuff like that." Riley finished lamely. The back story she and Maya had concocted flew out of her head, chased away by Topanga's direct stare. 

"Riley, is that the story she told you, or are you making this up as you go along?"

"A little of both?"

"I don't like any of this! Has she asked you for money? Who's paying for this hospital stay, and what happens now? Has she asked you for money?"

"You said that twice Mom! No, she has not asked me for money, she has all that taken care of. She tells me she has plenty of money to live on in the bank, and she has health insurance and everything. I don't know all the details, but all that's taken care of."

"How? And I still don't get the name thing. Maya Hart? Weird name, sounds like she pulled it out of her ass."

"Mom, language! I think it's the cutest name ever. Whoever named her that must have really loved her. Despite what you and Farkle think, I am not being conned. She cares about me as much as I care about her, and I'm in love with her."

"You just met last night, that's hardly true love!"

"You and Dad claim you knew when you were in grade school, was that true love? Sometimes things just happen Mom, life gives you something wonderful and you have to go with it."

"Yeah, yeah, and Pluto is a planet. I just don't want to see you get hurt Riley."

"We're the next Corey and Topanga, Mom. It's meant to be, like its written down somewhere."

"Very romantic Riley, but this is real life. I still don't believe the whole cult story. Wait! Was she in witness protection?"

"Damn, never thought of that." Riley muttered. "If she was she didn't talk about it, but then she wouldn't, would she?"

"Pretty much impossible to find that out, even for me. But you said she has her own money, right?"

"Sounded like she has enough to get started anyway. She sold all of her paintings before she left. She's a really good artist, but she wants to study here too. She said where she's from people realized that you don't have to be old or dead to be a great artist."

"Right! In the cult where she was imprisoned for all those years." Topanga said, dripping sarcasm.

"Mom, I can't explain all the details. I'm an adult, so please trust that I'm able to make good decisions, because Maya Hart is the best one I've ever made."

"Alright Riley." Topanga sighed. "But you're my daughter and I'm going to worry no matter what, especially when this whole story sounds like science fiction to me. Let's go meet this mysterious Maya Hart that you're so infatuated with."

"You'll love her Mom, trust me, everybody will."

The tall nurse was back, standing beside Maya's bed, smiling and laughing as she talked to the blond girl. She turned as Riley and Topanga walked in the door and smiled at the pair. "Good morning. I need to apologize for my behavior last night, Miss Mathews. I had a long day and I wasn't at my best. The insurance thing is all squared away so thank you for that, all her records hit our system first thing this morning so that was good. Stupid computers. Maya Hart, honestly thought you might have made that up. She has been telling me all about you, Riley. You two make the cutest couple ever! I'll let you all talk." She smiled again and left the room.

Maya slid up onto her pillows, wincing when she bumped her left arm, then smiled radiantly at Riley and Topanga. Riley grinned from ear to ear and stood aside as she made the introductions. Maya extended her hand and Topanga shook it and muttered a greeting.

"I'm so happy to meet you, Mrs. Mathews. You have such a wonderful daughter, you must have done a great job of raising her. She is the sweetest person ever."

Topanga made an attempt to appear stern, but melted when she looked at the tiny blonde. "My God, you are so pretty! Not the three hundred pound fat guy we were all expecting. What beautiful hair!"

Maya blushed. "Thank you, the nurse gave me a brush and helped me so I'd look presentable. Everyone is so nice here. Where I'm from health care is free, but it's very impersonal."

"The cult thing?" Topanga gave her an exaggerated wink. 

"Yeah, the cult thing." Maya tried to wink back, but failed miserably.

Riley giggled. "Winking in our culture is like sarcasm, Maya."

"Oh yeah, I get sarcasm." Maya laughed. "We didn't have much of that, everybody just said what they meant. Sometimes that can be awkward."

"I can't get over how pretty you are!" Topanga gushed. "Can I ask you how you ended up in witness protection?"

"Mom! Stop trying to trick her. Save your lawyer tricks for the courtroom. Maya, I'm sorry, but my Mom is concerned that your story about the cult may not be completely true. She has concerns that you might be in witness protection, and maybe the mob will come after you."

"I am sorry, Mrs. Mathews." Maya gave Topanga her best smile. "I can promise you for sure, I am not in witness protection." Not completely understanding the concept, Maya gave Topanga a big wink, then looked at Riley. "Wait, was that wrong?"

Riley laughed happily. "Yes, but it doesn't matter. My Mom trusts you, don't you?"

"Honestly, the lawyer in me has a lot of questions, but the Mom in me thinks you're wonderful!" Topanga laughed. "How is the arm? Will you be released soon?"

"The nurse said I should be getting out around noon."

"Where are you going to stay then?" Topanga asked. Maya looked at Riley and raised an eyebrow.

"She's moving in with me Mom, didn't I tell you that?" Riley explained.

Maya smiled warmly at Riley. "It's going to be great! Riley says she can't wait to make love with me." She added another wink.

"Oh my God." Topanga moaned, and dropped her head into her hands. "Your father is going to have a heart attack."  
***  
"Careful of her arm Riley!" Topanga said loudly as she held the hospital door.

"Jeez Mom, she's my girlfriend." Topanga and Maya had bonded.

"I know, but you still have that bull in a china shop thing going on, you're all legs."

Maya frowned. "Mrs. Mathews, why would anyone let a male cow loose in a shop in China?"

"It's an expression Maya, her way of saying that I am known for being clumsy. A china shop, not a shop in China. You know, like fancy plates and tea cups and stuff."

"You mean they aren't stainless steel? What a waste of resources. What do you do when you drop them, don't they just break?"

Riley looked cautiously at her mother, who appeared to be thinking furiously. She tried distraction. "Mom, can you open the car door, I'll help Sabrina out of the wheelchair."

"Call me Maya, Riles, remember? I think it's a really good name."

Topanga folded her arms and stood in front of the car door, blocking Riley's path. "Maya, I think you are the sweetest thing ever, but we need to talk!"

"Mom, do we have to do this now?" Riley pleaded.

Maya looked back and forth between them and started to tear up. "I don't understand, did I do something wrong? I really want you to like me, Riley's Mom!" 

"You're upsetting my girlfriend Mom. She just got out of the hospital and she's medicated."

"You are not medicated Riley, and you have no excuse. Maya, honey, don't cry, okay? But I'm a lawyer, do you know what that means?" The blonde shook her head, her bottom lip quivering. "You don't have lawyers where you come from?" She shook her head again.

"Attorneys, Maya. You have those right?" She winked quickly.

"Was that sarcasm? It's sarcasm when you wink, right?" Topanga glared at Riley and Maya burst into tears. "I'm sorry, I'm screwing this all up. This was all supposed to be perfect, but the slip was off, and then I fell out of the damn tree, and my arm hurts, and now you hate me?"

"Nice Mom! Now you really made her cry!"

"Alright, let's just get you situated first. We'll move you into Riley's apartment if that's where your staying, then the three of us are going to have a long talk."

"Riles, maybe we just have to tell her. It's allowed in extreme situations." Maya said as Riley and Topanga helped her into the car.

"No!" Riley yelped. "She isn't buying the cult story, she'll never believe the truth."

"This just gets better and better!" Topanga said as she started the car. 

"Sarcasm?" Maya asked. Topanga drove to Riley's while the two girls exchanged furtive looks, both afraid to speak. They helped Maya into the apartment and onto the couch. There was a small Fed ex package outside the door, addressed to Maya, in care of Riley Mathews. Topanga didn't miss it. She helped herself to Riley's coffeemaker and started a pot, then sat down across from Maya and pointed at a chair. Riley sat down glumly.

"Alright girls, truth time. Maya, being an attorney, my job is to get at the truth and catch people when they're lying. It's obvious that you and Riley are not telling me the truth, or you aren't telling her the truth. That's no way to start a relationship. Yours and hers, or mine and yours. Riley is terrible at fibbing, and you aren't much better. One of you needs to tell me what's going on!"

"Why didn't we think of witness protection?" Riley asked Maya.

"Don't know what that is Riles." Maya said meekly. "We just have to tell her Riley. She's intelligent enough to not freak out, and I don't want to lie to her, she's going to be my kid's grandmother."

"What?" Topanga's eyes flew open. "Maya, if that is your real name, you and Riley need to slow down. Just because you two get along online doesn't mean you should get married! You're scaring me. If you weren't so tiny I'd be worried about my daughter's safety." Maya shrugged and looked to Riley for help.

"Mom, it already happened. It's history." The brunette said putting a hand on her mother's knee. "This is going to be really hard for you to accept, but you trust me right?"

"Riley of course I do, and I want to trust Maya, but too many things don't add up."

"Riles, would you hand me the package, my settlement package." Topanga sat looking back and forth between them. Maya opened the packet and pulled out the documents inside. She shuffled through them quickly then pulled out a small piece of paper. She handed it to Topanga.

"What is this? Just some numbers."

"The numbers for tonight's lottery. One number is wrong on purpose. The time commission won't give them all out, and we're prohibited from buying all the combinations. That just wouldn't be fair. It's my startup fund, Riley can go buy the ticket later."

Topanga glanced at the numbers, then laughed and handed it back to the blonde. "The cult story is much better, no way to prove that isn't true. Riley, I'm sorry, but now she's scaring me."

Riley looked up. "Sorry, what'd you say? I was just trying to calculate the taxes on a million bucks in my head."

"Riley! Maybe this is a cult, and you've fallen victim to it too. Maya, you poor girl."

Maya snickered and continued looking through her packet. "Wow, look at this picture! What's a driver's license?" Topanga continued to stare at the pretty blonde. She finally looked up and smiled. "I know this is hard to believe, but you can't tell anyone, not even Corey, okay?"

"Tell him what? That his daughter's girlfriend thinks she's from the future? He will have a heart attack, especially when he finds out you moved in with Riley! You seem really nice Maya and we can get you some help. Whatever happened to you, lots of therapy will straighten you out, you'll be okay."

"Mom, she doesn't need therapy. Do they have therapy in the thirty-third century Maya?"

"No need, Sammy makes everybody happy." 

"Damn. I really want one of those!" Riley giggled. Topanga remained frozen, staring at Maya.

"A little help here girls! I am this close to calling for help, and I'm not sure if Maya needs it, or I do."

Maya reached out with her free hand and Topanga took it, still looking cautious. "I know this is hard to except Mrs. Mathews. But haven't you ever wondered if time travel would be possible? All those UFO sightings? They weren't from other planets like you all thought, they were from another time. When time science was new there were some mistakes, they weren't careful enough and they were observed."

"Yeah right!" Topanga laughed nervously. "You two are in on this together aren't you, you're both messing with me. Riley?"

"That's a lot of zeros!" Riley had found a calculator. 

Maya chuckled at her then looked at Topanga again. "You don't have to believe me now. Did you memorize those numbers?"

"Hey, those are our numbers!" Riley chimed in. "Maya's numbers, but she's going to be my wife."

"Don't worry Riley, I'm not buying any of this." Topanga stood up. "Maybe tomorrow you two can have supper with us and talk about all this, alright? Corey and I will figure out a way to help you Maya."

"Promise me you won't say anything to him tonight, okay? What will you say when the ticket wins? Riles, what time is the drawing?"

"Lotteries at eleven. Mom, can I have a ride to the store so I can buy Maya's and my future?"

"I guess, we have a lot to talk about anyway. We'll talk too, okay Maya? You get some rest, everything will make more sense by tomorrow." She backed out the door, shaking her head and looking sympathetic. 

Riley grabbed her purse and the piece of paper with the numbers. She bent down and gave Maya a soft kiss. "I'll be back right away. Mom's going to give me the third degree, but when I get back I'm going to make you forget all about that Sammy gadget."

"Better hurry, your mother is probably calling the police right now."

"Oh boy, it's going to be a crow feast!" Riley laughed.

It was eleven fifteen when Corey Mathews walked down the stairs looking for his wife. "Topanga, did you fall asleep in front of the television again?"

"Wow." Topanga said looking up at her husband. "Just wow!" He shrugged and led her upstairs.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with the folks

"Wow. Just wow." Riley smiled demurely. "And with a broken arm. I would have thought you would be the one doing the screaming. The people of the future are really lucky."

"Thank you, Sammy! All that training paid off. Did I give you pleasure?"

Riley squealed ecstatically. "About five damn times!"

"I lost count, myself." Maya giggled. "You don't need a Sammy, you have all that natural talent."

"Hey, we could invent Sammy! We could use what you remember and get Farkle and Smackle to help us with the technical stuff! We'd be bazillionaires."

"And be erased from existence. The time council doesn't allow big tweaks like that and they would stop us before we started, literally. Besides, you saw the Lotto drawing, we have plenty of money. We'll both have careers, and we'll do just fine. Making love with you is so much better than sex with Sammy. I think we should do it some more!"

"Supper at the Mathews tonight." Riley looked up at her clock. "That only gives us another three hours before we have to shower and get ready."

"We should sleep at some point, don't you think?" Maya grinned.

Riley slid over next to the blond girl. "Nah, maybe tonight after we talk to the folks. Or maybe not." She giggled again, reaching out.

***

"Tomorrow we better go to the bank and the lottery office. Kind of freaks me out that I'm carrying this ticket around. And your supposed to sign it." Riley said as they climbed into her car.

"I have funds already, do you want to just keep it?" 

"No! Maya, that's your money. I understand a lot of things in the future were provided, but in this century, everything costs a lot of money. You will need money for school, and rent, clothes, everything. Speaking of which, I can beg for one more day off work and that's it."

"We'll be married sometime, probably sooner than later, so it's your money too. You work for your mother, right? I can give her cash, then you can stay home and we can make love all day." Maya smiled happily.

"Fun as that sounds, she won't go for that. I have responsibilities. School's starting again in a couple of weeks. Before that happens, we need to get you acclimated, teach you about the subway, and how to stay safe. There really is no crime in the future?"

"Very little, its complicated." Maya stopped smiling and stared out the window for a minute, then turned back to Riley. "I want to learn to navigate one of these machines. Is it difficult?"

"Some of us may have had trouble passing the test, twice actually, but you can take driving lessons and get your license. How do people get around in the future?"

"There is independent transportation, but it's not allowed in the city. We have walk and bike-ways everywhere. I never left New Albany. Never went further than I could ride my bicycle."

"New Albany?"

"Most of New York City, including where we're at right now, is under water. The seawalls failed and they abandoned it in the middle of the twenty-fourth century. Wow, I remember a lot more history than I thought."

"Bummer! But it's cool that you still have bicycles. You never traveled overseas? Paris, London, any of those places?" 

Maya frowned. "Nope. I'll have to look at a current map, those places don't sound familiar. A lot changed Riley. My time is twelve hundred years away. Sea level rise, two world wars, plagues. I'm sorry, but the world had to get really bad before it got better. I shouldn't say more, it would just depress you. The good news is that humanity survived and we're in a good place now. Well, now in my time, you know what I mean."

"This is your time now Maya." Riley's phone chimed and she handed it to Maya. "It's a text, so just read the screen. We need to get you a cellphone too."

Maya took the phone. "It says, Riley, I'm freaking out!"

"Mom. We'll be there in two minutes so I'm not going to stop and text her back. Did you hear her last night when she called?"

"She sounded pretty excited, or freaked out? Is that a thing?"

"Another way to say upset, excited too. Can mean both, or either."

"I don't think I like your slang language, why not just say what you mean? If your Mom is freaked out, will she say something to your Dad?"

"I don't think so. You better mention the fact that we could get erased!"

"We certainly can't tell anyone else. The Farkle and the Zay, what will we tell them?"

"I'm starting to like the witness protection story, seems a little more plausible than the cult thing. Farkle and Smackle are so damn smart it may be hard to fool them. Zay will take one look at you and forget his own name, so I'm not worried about him. My Dad likes everybody, so he won't pry too much. As long as he knows I like you, he'll be cool."

"Cool, that word has many uses."

"Cool, chill, just down with things in general, you know?"

"Not at all. But I will get the hang of twenty-first century slang. I just hope your parents really like me."

"I love you, so they will. Ready?" Riley climbed out of the car and grasped Maya's hand when she jumped out as well. 

Corey Mathews met them at the door. "Riley, thanks for coming. Maya, right?" He extended his hand then pulled the blonde into a warm hug. When he released her, Maya stepped back, blushing a deep red and smiling shyly. Corey laughed. "It is great to finally meet you Maya Hart. We were all pretty sure you were a three hundred pound hacker."

"I weigh forty-five kilograms, more or less." 

"Well of course you do! Topanga told me all about your little, situation." He smiled and gave her an exaggerated wink. 

Maya panicked. "About the Slip?" She looked at Riley, eyes wide. "Sarcasm?"

Topanga jumped in. "I explained the problem you have, being in the witness protection program." Then she winked.

It was Maya's turn to freak out. "Riley! Which is sarcasm and which is cold?"

"Cool, Maya not cold." She wrapped an arm around her confused girlfriend and led her to the kitchen table. "Mom, you said you weren't going to tell anyone, even Dad."

"Well I had to tell someone, something!" Topanga shrugged. 

Corey pulled an invisible zipper across his lips and smiled at Maya. "Your secret is safe with me Maya, none of us want you wearing cement boots at the bottom of the East river. Did they make you an offer you couldn't refuse?" It was a pathetic imitation of the Godfather.

"Huh?" Maya looked at Riley for help again.

"Maya doesn't always understand what we're talking about. We have to use the queens English." Riley explained.

"I w i l l s p e a k s l o w l y." Corey said loudly, leaning close to the blonde.

"Corey, good grief!" Topanga laughed. "You're going to scare the poor girl. She understands English just fine. The best way to pick up dialectic quirks is just by being exposed to them. You'll catch on to the way people talk in New York, Maya. If you don't know what something means, just ask. Most slang is just something somebody made up one day and it caught on. Are you picking up what I'm laying down, Riley?"

"Huh?"

Topanga laughed. "See what I mean?"

"Yeah, cool Mrs. Mathews, thanks." Maya smiled.

"See, you're using it properly already. Ignore my husband, he's never been chill."

"Not cool, Topanga, not cool at all." Corey glared as the others laughed. They continued making small talk, getting to know Maya as they loaded the table with food. 

"Where is your brother, Riles? Auggie, right?" Maya asked.

"He and Ava went with her Mom and new husband on a little trip. Myrtle Beach I think, right Mom?"

"Yeah, just for a few days. Ava really likes John I guess. It's nice her Mom found someone Ava can tolerate, she can be a little…"

"Insufferable, abrasive, domineering?" Riley giggled. "But she is really sweet most of the time."

"How about you Maya?" Corey asked. "What about your parents?"

Maya was loading her plate, but replied casually. "Well, my Dad's gone, he got erased. Then my Mom remarried a year or so ago. They're living in Minnesota. I'm hoping Riley and I can go see them sometime soon."

There was a long moment of silence, then Riley shrieked. "What the fu…?" She and her mother exchanged looks. 

Corey looked equally mortified, but for a completely different reason. "I'm so sorry, Maya! I shouldn't have asked about that. But your Dad? Is that why you're in witness protection?"

The blonde realized she had said too much, or perhaps too little in Riley's case, and tried to cover her tracks. "Yeah, my biological Dad pulled some shit, excuse me, some stuff, that got him in a lot of trouble. He just disappeared one day. Poof! It was pretty awful, but there are rules you can't break." She paused, then continued cautiously. "He did things that aren't allowed and got caught. They sent him several warnings, but he ignored them. They took away the rest of his time, literally."

"You can't mess with the Mob, that's for sure." Corey nodded as if he knew what he was talking about. He looked in the direction of the front door. "No chance they could find you, right?"

"Forget the damn Mob!" Riley said, eyes wide. "Your mother is alive and well and living in Minnesota? Now? In 2018? How can that even be? And why am I just now hearing about this?"

"Oops, my bad. Surprise!" Maya smiled nervously and tilted her head slightly in Corey's direction. "Maybe I should explain it all later? Anyway, Mr. Mathews, now my Mom is living in a place called Minneapolis and she remarried recently. I haven't even met the new guy, Shawn something."

"We are going to have a long talk about this!" Riley scolded her girlfriend. 

Corey laughed and eyed his wife. "Look at that Topanga, it's like Maya is me!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maya meets the crew.

"Is this what they call under the dog house? Am I under the dog house?" Maya asked seriously.

Riley squinted, trying very hard not to crack a smile. "It's in the dog house Maya, and yes you are definitely there. I can't believe you didn't tell me any of this stuff about your parents!"

"Does this mean we aren't going to make love tonight?" The blonde asked, pouting a little.

"Let's not go crazy." Riley shot her a dark look, then started laughing. "You're lucky."

Maya giggled, happy to be released from the kennel. "Why am I lucky, other than the fact that I have you?"

"You're lucky that you're so adorable, I'm not planning on cutting you off any time soon." Riley blushed. "More slang for I'm just really horny. But don't spread that around!"

"Ah, I see the connection. Bulls have horns and bulls breed every chance they get, like us. We are both horny girls, sans the horn, obviously." Her hand had strayed over to Riley's lap.

"Not sure if that's where the word came from. Hey! First rule of driving Maya, no foreplay while operating the vehicle."

"Then drive faster. I am really horny too. Is that cool?"

Riley giggled. "Yeah, very cool. Wait. I'm still mad at you. Poof? Your Dad went poof, or was that just for Corey's benefit?"

"It's hard for me to talk about, which is why I never mentioned my parents in our communications. My father was a bad-minded man, that's future slang for asshole. I was ashamed to tell you about him."

"Maya, you aren't your father. What did he do?"

"He went through revision therapy when he was young and he was considered cured, so it took us by surprise. Children are emancipated at sixteen, so I wasn't living with them, but I told them about you, and about my plans to jump back to this time. My Mom was really upset, freaked out, right?" Riley nodded. "Anyway, I showed her the painting, and told her how deeply I felt about you. She couldn't stand the idea of never seeing me again, so she arranged for them to come back too. They landed about two years ago. The trouble with my Dad started right away."

"Because now he existed before the therapy?" 

"Wow, smart as you are beautiful! That was the only reason the Council was patient. They warned him three times."

"What was he doing that was so bad?"

"Before he came back, he studied history, just so they wouldn't be too lost in this century. At least that's what we thought. Maybe the therapy didn't actually work. But there are things that we took for granted every day that haven't even been imagined yet."

"Sammy!" Riley nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, and a million other ideas that you have the technology to create, but not the technical abilities. My father was an electrical engineer. He wasn't satisfied with the settlement package. It was the same as ours, which is plenty for a good start in this time. But right away, he started selling what he knew. For millions, obviously. He was careful, he didn't invent wireless electricity or any thing too advanced, but the council knew. You can't change the past without changing the future. They warned him twice, then Poof."

"My God, they killed him? I thought the people of the future are enlightened."

"Not killed exactly, well kind of, because he's not living anymore, obviously. But it isn't like dying. It's just a lack of existence. There is no pain or lying in a hospital. One millisecond you're walking along, the next you're not, poof, nothing. If it wasn't for me, they would have gone further back and he never would have been born, they do that sometimes."

"So, does he go right to heaven, or the other way?" Riley gulped.

"Heaven? Primitive concept." They were stopped at a light, and they exchanged a bleak look. 

"You don't believe in God?" Riley said quietly. "It's okay, you're entitled to your opinion, I just presumed you did for some reason."

Maya looked over at her again. "Certainly not in the sense that there's a guy in the sky watching us. We have a lot to learn about each other, don't we?"

"Part of the fun." Riley continued optimistically. "So now your Mom lives in Minneapolis, with her new husband? My gosh, have you called her yet? Does she even know you're here?"

"I haven't had time. I went right from the hospital to your bedroom." Maya laughed at Riley's shocked expression. "It's not like I minded. I'll call her tomorrow when you go to work."

"You will call her when we get home, young lady! It's your Mother."

"Yes dear." Maya snickered.

"Does her new husband know his wife hasn't been born yet? Wow! Talk about robbing the cradle."

"If that's slang, it's creepy slang. And no, it's generally discouraged. I wouldn't have told your mother, but I really felt like she could handle it, and I was heavily medicated. I think my Mom told this Shawn guy that her husband had an accident, which we can elaborate on for your father's benefit. Presuming they eventually meet."

"Of course they will. We'll all be one big happy family."

"Can we go to the bank and stuff tomorrow? What will I do all day when you have to go to work?"

"Well, I don't have a Sammy you can borrow." Riley snickered. "We can buy you paint supplies so you can paint your beautiful girlfriend. And I hate to say it, but you can watch television, it will help you assimilate. It may warp your brain, but you'll learn a lot of slang."

"Machines like that were outlawed long ago in our time. Sleeping is considered more productive."

"Probably true, but this is where you live now, and sometimes there are things worth watching. The news is mostly depressing, but it will give you an idea where civilization is at."

"The big problems are a couple hundred years away." Riley's eyes widened. "Sorry Riles, I'm going to keep information like that to myself from now on."

"Good idea, nothing we can do about it." She said glumly, then turned defiant. "Screw that, I'm still recycling. When I go to work on Wednesday I'm going to call the gang and you can meet them. Of course, we'll have to mess with them a little."  
***

Early Tuesday afternoon Zay walked into Topanga's and dropped onto a chair. Farkle and Smackle already had stolen the couch which was his favorite spot, (skinny butt, he always went for the cushiest spot.) He nodded at the pair who were snuggling suggestively. "Stop that, you two love birds. Lonely bachelor in the house."

"Bachelor perhaps," Smackle observed. "But you were anything but lonely last night at the party. There were a number of young women who seemed interested in coitus with you."

"If that means sex, maybe, but I went home alone. Tired of Miss right now, I'm ready for something more permanent. What's with Riley? She looks like NASA shot down Pluto or something."

"Basically, an impossibility." Smackle scoffed. "Sending a missile to the farthest reaches of our solar system would be incredibly difficult, and it begs the question, where would down be?"

"Oh behave. Farkle, does her constant need to analyze every statement ever bother you?"

Farkle grinned and planted a kiss on Smackles ready lips. "I find it charming and arousing, if you really want to know."

"I really don't, sorry I asked. Incoming, don't say anything mean Smackle, Riley looks depressed enough."

"Me, mean?" Smackle raised a brow. "Brutally honest perhaps, but never mean."

Riley clutched her order pad and pencil in one hand and slumped down morosely, creating a spot on the couch between Farkle and Smackle. Smackle glared ominously. Riley looked back and forth between the three, her bottom lip quivering.

"Did you hear about Sabrina?" In unison, they shook their heads and leaned closer. Riley continued, her voice quaking slightly. "She has been lying to me."

"Three hundred pounder, I knew it!" Zay exclaimed. "I hate to say we told you so, but…"

"Zay, be nice. Can't you see Riley is hurting." Smackle chided him. "But we did warn her, you're not wrong!"

"Well, it's a good thing that you finally know Riley." Farkle took her hand sympathetically. Smackle reached across and pulled Riley's hand away from Farkle, her eyes narrowing slightly. Farkle rolled his eyes and continued. "What's the deal, is she really a guy? Is she in prison, or is she an oddly erotic woman dressed up as a circus clown?"

"Eww Farkle, how does your brain work? She says she was lying about the cult, she is actually in witness protection."

Riley's three friends simultaneously burst into laughter. Riley looked from one to the other, tears welling up in her eyes. 

"Riley, we're sorry." Farkle glared at the other two until they stopped laughing. "But you really need to stop believing this person. It's a Troll, clearly."

"You think I've been duped again?" Riley glanced over Farkle's shoulder as Maya came walking into the Diner. She did her best to look dejected, she didn't want them noticing Maya yet. "And you really think she is a three-hundred pound guy that's just Trolling me?"

"Sorry Riles, but we've been telling you that all along."

Riley smiled. "Well I believe in Pluto, and I believe that Sabrina is a real girl, so there!" The three shook their heads sadly, muttering to each other about shrinks and an intervention. Maya walked up behind Farkle and Smackle, and stood there. She wore white shorts and a sky blue shirt with one shoulder bare. Her hair hung in blond torrents that framed her beautiful face and her blue eyes searched the Diner as if she were lost. Her bright red lips were parted slightly, pouting just a little.

"Oh my God!" Was all Zay could get out when he saw her.

Maya smiled at Zay, looking like every man's dream incarnate. "Do you guys know Riley Mathews? She is supposed to meet me here. We've been corresponding, but I've never met her. I'm really afraid she might be a three-hundred pound Troll." 

No one spoke for a moment, then Zay jumped up. "Alright, I confess, I've been pretending to be Riley Mathews online all this time! Kiss me Baby!" 

Maya stepped around the couch, but it wasn't Zay's open arms she ran into. She and Riley kissed passionately, then turned to the group. Riley held Maya's hand and smiled at her friends. "Guys, I want you to meet my Troll. Not a three-hundred pound dude, not even close."

"Holy Shit!" Zay said.

"Holy Shit." Farkle and Smackle repeated together.

"I don't want to say I told you so, but I did." Riley said smugly. "And Pluto is a planet!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maya impresses.

School had started. Riley and the group went back to college and Maya started an advanced Art program she had applied for the previous year. (The previous year had been twelve centuries in the future, but it's complicated.) The only person who found it odd was Farkle and Riley told him to mind his own business.

As was often the case late on Friday afternoons, Farkle and Smackle sat at Topanga's, their homework spread out on the coffee table in front of them. Topanga had objected at first, but afternoons were slow and having Riley surrounded by geniuses struck her as a good thing. Often as not, Topanga brought her work to the Diner, so she couldn't be hypocritical. Being a lawyer and a business owner wasn't an easy task.

Riley had always been a good student, but she was struggling getting back in the swing of things, complaining constantly about the amount of work. Topanga asked her about it. "Riley, you've always loved school, why is it so much harder this year?"

"I just have too much going on, school, working here, and doing other stuff."

Topanga rolled her eyes. "Doing other stuff? Doing Maya is what you mean! Do you ever sleep?"

"Mom! That's totally inappropriate. But true. Eventually the sex will get boring, right? You and Dad don't still do it every night, do you?"

"You're right, totally inappropriate, and none of my business." Topanga blushed. "But I'm a lawyer and I run a business. Now that your back in school, I have to hire someone. My cook is leaving next month and my best waitress is pregnant, so she'll be gone pretty soon too."

"I thought I was your best waitress!?"

Topanga snickered. "Yeah, right. Oh, your being serious. You're very good dear, but college comes first and I need to hire a manager."

"So hire Zay. He's in here half the time anyway, and he's been flipping burgers at McDonalds for the last two years. He could be the cook and learn to run the place. He said he was taking a gap year, but he's still flipping burgers. He might go to culinary school at some point I guess. This place would be good experience for him."

"That's actually not a bad idea. How is the future Mrs. Mathews doing?"

"The from the future Mrs. Mathews?" Riley laughed at her own pun. "Maya is doing great, Mom. Turns out there are a few things she knows about thirty-second century Art that no one has seen yet." Her eyes glazed over and she smiled demurely. "She has taught me a few other things too."

"Too much information Riley! But she is being careful, right?"

"Safe sex Mom? We're both girls and neither of us has ever been with anyone else."

"Not the sex Riley! Is that all you ever think about? I was talking about oversharing in Art class. We don't want her to go "Poof" right?"

"Oh, of course not the sex, silly me." She continued to stare off in the distance and the vacant smile returned to her face.

"Go wait on your tables Riley! Your woman just walked in, but she is not your only customer. Don't just stand there and flirt with her like you usually do. I have to cook and I can't do both jobs."

"Sheesh, grumpy much?" Riley pulled her pen from above her ear and went to wait on an older couple sitting by the window.

Maya gave her a little wave and a big smile, pulled her bag from her shoulder and walked over to where Farkle and Smackle were sitting. She sat down in the chair across from the genius pair. They both looked up quickly and muttered a greeting, then went back to the problem they were working on. Maya sat there humming quietly and watching Riley walk back and forth as she waited on people. Finally, the boredom got to be too much.

"Whatcha' doin'?" She gave Farkle her cutest smile.

"Trigonometry." Farkle replied.

"Advanced Trigonometry." Smackle sniffed. "The whole class is stuck on this equation and the professor refuses to tell anyone how to solve it."

"Smackle and I are really close, I'm sure of it." Farkle nodded.

"I did pretty good at math in my old school, can I see?" Smackle snorted loudly. Maya reached out and Farkle handed her his notebook. She glanced at the half page of scribbling, and then picked up Farkle's pencil from the table. Before he could object she erased a couple of equations and quickly changed them, then handed it back.

"Hey! I worked on that for two days." He complained.

"You started with the original quotient wrong and it threw everything off. The first tangent can't end up as a negative." Maya reached across and pointed to the change she had made.

"That can't be right!" Smackle yanked the notebook from her boyfriend's hands and pulled it close to her face. Crestfallen, she let the notebook fall into her lap. "But it is."

"Wow, beautiful and wicked smart. You are too good to be true." Farkle said awestruck.

"The teacher where I lived before was really good. It was a very progressive school, way, way ahead of its time."

Smackle continued looking at the equation. "Why are you wasting your time on Art?"

"Kava said Art encompasses all the disciplines."

"Who is Kava? Never heard of him." Farkle asked.

"She, she lived right after the Reformation." Maya realized suddenly that the particular Reformation she was talking about was still several hundred years away, so she didn't expound.

"Never heard of her." Smackle shrugged. "Art has always confused me. Most of what people consider Art looks out of focus or incomplete to me. I did like the one with all the people in pieces, and I think there was a bull, or a horse. But it looked like someone cut up three or four pictures and threw them in a pile."

Maya smiled. "Guernica, by Picasso. One of the greatest works of the twentieth century."

"I mostly like pictures of real things." Smackle admitted. "Trees, landscapes, and horses. I really like paintings of horses."

Farkle snickered loudly and Smackle shot him a dark look. "Smackle has been having a dream that involves a horse. You're in it too. I think it's sexual."

"A typical male analysis." Smackle glared at him. "I am not likely to share the contents of my dreams with you again anytime soon. Easy enough, since I'm not likely to be waking up next to you in the foreseeable future." 

"Freud had people believing everything was about sex, and he said everyone in our dreams is actually us. We studied dream analysis extensively, in that school I was telling you about." Maya finished lamely.

"Of course you did! Apparently you have studied everything." Smackle snapped. "I am well aware that the horse in my dream probably represents male masculinity, and the fact that you are riding the horse might indicate my insecurities about your incredible physical attributes, the particulars of which Farkle reminds me of regularly."

"Smackle, first, all men are assholes. But I am certainly not any kind of a threat to you, I'm sorry if you feel that way." Maya reached out and grabbed Smackle's hand. "I want us to be good friends. Besides, you are incredibly brilliant and very beautiful, why would you be jealous of me?"

"Aww, do you really think so?" Smackle melted.

"Tell her about the rest of the dream, dearest." Farkle jumped in eagerly. "This is the best part Maya, kind of kinky, I'm curious to see what you think."

Maya shrugged. "Dreams are not necessarily easy to decipher, and sometimes we read too much into them. Even Freud admitted that sometimes a gun is just a gun."

"Tell her Smackle." Farkle repeated. "It always gets your motor running."

"Alright. You're only in the dream at first, Maya. Then I'm on the horse, and I'm riding and I'm holding on to the horse's mane. It's a really long, beautiful black mane, a foot long probably, and it smells like apples, or maybe apple shampoo, and it's wonderful and it's blowing back in my face, and I love the way it feels. And the horse is moving under me, pushing against me in all the right places, which feels pretty good too, and Wow. Just Wow! It's just so damn hot!" The girl genius fell back, breathing heavily.

"Okay Maya, what does it mean?" Farkle leaned forward.

"Why am I the expert?" Maya laughed nervously.

"Hey, you solved that Trig equation in ten seconds flat, obviously you're not just another pretty face."

"Well, just a theory, but maybe it isn't about the horse itself. In your dream you seem obsessed, and aroused, mostly by the horse's mane. All that beautiful black hair. Is there anyone you find sexually attractive that has waves of black hair like that?"

As one person they all turned and looked toward the counter. Riley stood there, twisting her long dark locks, examining them for split ends. When she realized they were all staring at her she smiled happily. "What? Are you guys talking about me?"

"Oh my God!" Smackle jumped up quickly and threw her books and papers into her bag. "I am hot for a girl, and its Riley Mathews. I have to go." She ran out with Farkle right behind her.

He turned around at the door and called back to the pretty blonde. "Thank you, Maya! This is the stuff of my dreams."

Riley sat down on the table in front of Maya and leaned in for a kiss. "What the heck was that all about?"

"Your friends are kind of weird Riles. I'm glad I didn't grow up in this century, everybody is so sexually repressed. Oh, and by the way, Smackle is hot for your bod."

"Nice Maya, you're really getting the hang of our slang. And what??!!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Smackle!

"Riley, don’t be nervous. My Mom will love you, and I've never met this Shawn guy, I'm the one that needs to make a good impression."

"Right, look at you, you're a Goddess. You make the birds sing when you walk by the kitchen window. Zay still has an asthma attack every time he sees you, and he doesn't have asthma! My own father says you are God's gift to man and half the time my Mom agrees!"

"Corey exaggerates, and Zay is just playing. I still find it interesting that the people of this time value blond hair so much. The other day some poor guy walked into a sign, and he was sighted! Although I don't think it was my hair, I believe he was staring at my posterior! That sort of behavior is unacceptable in my time."

"This, is your time sweetie, and sometimes those kind of guys do more than look, so watch out. Maya, it isn't just that you're beautiful, posterior and all, but you exude confidence. Aren't you at least a little concerned that this Shawn person may not like you?"

"Why would he not like me?"

"See! That's what I'm talking about. You presume everyone will like you."

"I presume everyone will like you too. I am surprised by your lack of self-esteem. You're sweet, you're beautiful, you're intelligent…"

"I got a D in Chem Lab when I was a sophomore!"

"Because you blew up the lab, you were experimenting, that's initiative!"

"It took me four years to make the cheer squad!"

"Most people would have given up long before then, you wore them down, that's determination."

"My legs are too long, and I'm clumsy." Maya blinked. "Maya?"

The blonde giggled. "Okay, maybe you're not graceful, but as I recall I have found some interesting uses for those long legs. My point is that it's all perspective. Our schools taught self confidence as well as math and science, I'm sure your father tried to instill that in you too."

"I guess, but still, it's a lot of stress, I want your Mom to like me. You were worried my Mom wouldn't like you too, remember?"

"I was drugged and unable to think clearly. There is no such thing as stress, Riley. Stress isn't what happens to you, it's the things your brain says about what's happening to us."

"Well my brain is shitting bricks because your Mom is going to hate me! Does she even know that you're gay?"

"There is no gay, only love."

"Oh, we're back to that again."

"It's a basic truth, Riley the people of my time don't limit themselves to restrictive gender identities and labels like that."

"Oh, the people of my time, blah de blah, we're so superior, blah, blah, blah."

"Are you mocking me? You know what I do when you mock me!"

"Maya, no, we have to get going, we're supposed to meet Farkle and the gang at the restaurant, Maya!!!!" 

"Too late, you need to be punished, tickle fight!!"

***

"Hi Maya, you look very pretty today." Zay sighed deeply and leaned on his elbow, starring at Riley's girlfriend. 

The brunette eyed him skeptically. "I'm here too Zay, you could at least say hello to me too."

"Oh, hey Riles." Zay returned to giving Maya his full attention. "Can I get you a Smoothie Maya? I'm not working right now but I'd be happy to make one for you."

Riley frowned. "Zay, do you even know how to make a smoothie? You've only worked here a few days and when we worked together Thursday you didn't have a clue. That was two days ago."

"I'm a fast learner, Riley. Topanga said if I'm going to run the place someday, I have to know how to do all the jobs, and I know how much Maya loves her Banana Smoothies. I'll get you one, Sugar." Zay jumped up and ran behind the counter.

"Ah, Zay! I'd like one too please." Riley waved her hand to no avail. "See? I remember when he used to call me Sugar. He's in love with you, everyone is!"

"Silly. I'll give you half of my Smoothie. He's just so darn cute! Speaking of unrequited crushes, here comes yours."

Farkle and Smackle walked in and took their usual spot on the couch. "Hi guys." Farkle said glancing at the pair. "You two just had sex, didn't you?"

"No." Riley said quickly. "Okay, yes. How the hell do you do that?"

"It's a numbers game, I figure if you aren't here or in school, you're at home having sex."

"He's not wrong." Maya giggled.

"Farkle, can you fix my laptop for me?" Riley handed the device to him and leaned back. "I think maybe it's shot, I can't get it to do anything." 

Farkle slid the laptop in his backpack. "I'll take it home with me, probably have to open it up in my shop, but I bet I can get it going. Hey Maya, can you look at this Trig problem for me?" He pulled a piece of paper from his book, then glanced at his girlfriend, afraid of her reaction. She hadn't even noticed the exchange. She was busy watching Riley. 

Riley, bored by the talk of Trigonometry, sat playing with her long dark hair, twirling it casually in her fingers, and sliding it across her cheeks and lips. Farkle and Maya both sat quietly and watched Smackle watch Riley, as she sat there mesmerized by the brunettes cascading locks and whatever fantasies were tumbling through her big brain. Finally, Maya reached out and pulled Riley's hand down, giggling wildly.

"Dammit Maya." Farkle said. "It was just getting good."

"What? What are you two laughing about?" Riley asked innocently. "I can't help it, when I'm stressed, I fiddle with my hair."

Smackle nodded. "Perfectly understandable, Riley, and a truly good coping mechanism. Continue fiddling, please." Riley just shrugged and sat back. Smackle starred at her vacantly for a minute with her mouth hanging open, then took a deep breath and turned to her boyfriend. "Farkle, do you think you could catch a ride with Zay? I just remembered I have to run back home, I think I left the oven on, or the curling iron, something's hot." Without waiting for a response, she jumped up and rushed out the door.

"Well that was odd, wasn't it?" Riley starred after her. "I didn't think she even curled her hair. What in the world are you two laughing about?"

Maya had nearly composed herself when Farkle said. "Something's hot at Smackle's house, and it sure as hell isn't the stove." 

It took a full two minutes of additional laughter before the pair explained Smackle's dilemma to Riley. "See Sweetie," Maya said. "You have plenty of people who think you're beautiful. Smackle really thinks so."

"Really, really." Farkle convulsed with laughter. "Two, maybe three times I'd say, maybe even one in the car on the way home. I hope she has some energy left for me tonight."

"That's ridiculous. That's not why she went home! Is it? You think?" Riley blushed, but started giggling too. "Well, I guess I have to take that as a compliment."

"As well you should. Like I said, people in this century are so repressed, it's comical." Maya snickered.

"As opposed to what other century?" Farkle asked suddenly, his eyes narrowing. "That's an odd thing to say."

"Oh, you know, back in the day, back when all the royalty in Europe were all screwing their cousins and stuff." Maya tried to cover. "You know, back in the day."

"Yeah, Farkle. Back in the day." Riley nodded. "Here comes your smoothie, Maya. That second spoon Zay has better be for me!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will try to post more often and keep it going.


	12. Frankenfarkle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Farkle's scientific curiosity may spell trouble for the girls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few loose ends to tie up!

Farkle Minkus picked up his soldering iron and carefully melted the two tiny circuit together, concentrating on keeping his hands as steady as he could. He paused and wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned on the light that was incorporated into his Magnivisor, then went back to work. He replaced a couple of diodes and one fuse, plugged the charger in, and turned the laptop on.

For a moment he thought he had failed, a sensation he wasn't familiar with, but then the screen flickered to light. The eerie glow bathed his face in its artificial light, accenting the widening of his eyes and the twisted grimace that spread across his face. "It's alive!" He cried out maniacally, not unlike another scientist from a bygone era whose demise was skillfully chronicled so many years ago. 

But the lessons of history were lost on the boy genius in his quest for knowledge; any and all, he always had to have the answer to every puzzle. No one had ever told him that Pandora shouldn't have opened that box. Immersed as he was in the study of science, he overlooked the lessons of history that literature provided. Curiosity killed the Cat, another pertinent gem, though not as eloquently wrought as Shelley's tale of misguided intent. "Caution my boy," she might have said, "when dealing with things you don't understand! You might well unleash things beyond your understanding and control, things that will wreak havoc upon your village, and all the people you love!"

"Stop laughing like that, it's really creepy." Isadora Smackle looked over at him, distracted from her own experiments. "It's not like you discovered Plutonium, you just fixed Riley's laptop. Her birthday is coming up, you could have just bought her a new one and called it a day."

"Ah yes, but there is knowledge hidden here. I must have it!" He leered at her and laughed like a crazy person again. "I am on the verge of a discovery that will change the fate of mankind."

"Have you been huffing the Acetone again Dearest? Your brain is only slightly deficient to my own, but no one should waste what they have just for a quick high. What could Riley have on there that would interest you?" Smackle started to go back to her work, then stood suddenly and ran to Farkle's side. "Are there nude pictures of her? Let me see!"

"Smackle! No, there are no inappropriate pictures, but if I stumble across any, I'll send them to your computer. Your obsession with her is poorly disguised. Why not just admit you're attracted to girls, as well as guys?"

"You, I'm attracted to you. Maybe Lucas, if I'm being honest, but that goofy smile of Riley's makes my knees weak. Does that make you uncomfortable?"

"That goofy smile makes my knees weak too, my love. It's a smile that may change history, a smirk as enchanting as the Mona Lisa, a grin that transcends time and space, a display of pearly whites that I believe is so captivating it has enticed another to make a life changing decision the like of which twenty first century man has been heretofore unaware. And I am going to prove it."

"You're talking crazy, but I am so turned on, I just don't care. My table, right now!"

***

"Okay, how do I look?"

"Twice as beautiful as the last time, you're good to go."

"You said that before, and my shirt had a big blueberry stain on it! Concentrate Maya, I have to look perfect."

The short blonde sighed. "You always look perfect Riley, and I thought that blue schmutz was part of the pattern. My mother came back from the thirty-third century, at this rate she could have just waited there to meet you."

"Very funny! And good use of the word, schmutz by the way. Dinner is a six, we have time for me to try on one more outfit."

"If you go into that bedroom again I am going to join you, and then we'll really be late."

"Okay, okay. If you really want to, let's go."

"To your parents?"

Riley grinned her time altering smile. "I meant the bedroom."

***

"You girls are late!" Topanga scolded. "Did you do what I think you did?"

"How do you do that?" Riley scrunched her nose.

"Your lipstick is a mess and you look even more giddy than normal. Maya, you're going to have to learn to say no, or plan on being late to everything the rest of your life."

"I'm okay with that." The blonde smiled happily. "I hear my Mom in the other room. That Shawn guy, is he nice?"

"You mean you have never met him?" Topanga asked incredulously. "It doesn't seem appropriate that you wouldn't have a chance to get to know him, before we met them both."

"Don't worry, gonna' be my Mom, nothing about our lives seems to be appropriate by your archaic twenty-first century standards."

"Your getting the slang down, gonna' be my daughter." Topanga laughed and pulled her into a hug. "Your mother is delightful, and Shawn and Cory already have quite the bromance going on."

"Bromance? I don't know that one."

"You'll see, those two are the definition of bromance, I won't have to explain it to you."

They walked into the kitchen dining area, Maya casually, Riley stilted and nervous, her eyes like two giant brown saucers, her trade mark smile nowhere to be seen. Maya's mother stood quickly and Maya slipped into her embrace, then turned to Riley. "Riley, Mom. Mom, Riley, the girl I came all this way for."

"I'm Katie, Riley. You made quite an impression on my daughter, obviously."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Not sorry I met her, of course, just sorry she had to change so much stuff, and sorry you had to come all this way. You know what I mean, just sorry I guess."

"Riley's a little nervous, Mom. A lot nervous. You must be Shawn." Maya smiled and held out her hand.

"Maya, it's wonderful to finally meet you. I heard you were studying abroad?"

"Studying, yup, that's what Shawnie and I were just talking about, you studying abroad." Cory gave Maya a giant wink.

"Shawnie?" She asked. Cory had placed his arm around Shawn's shoulder. "Oh, that's what bromance is, now I get it!" 

Katie snickered and took Riley's hand. "Let's leave these guys alone and get to know each other, okay?"

"I'm going to talk to your boyfriend Mom, see what his intentions are."

"And I'll check on dinner." Topanga said. 

Katie pulled Riley into the kitchen and sat down with her out of earshot from the others. "You are so strikingly beautiful, Riley. I saw a painting my daughter did of you, and it is incredible."

"Well she is a wonderful artist, if she can make me look that good. Of course, she hasn't painted that yet, so maybe I get better looking."

"Nonsense, you're very pretty, right now." The implication of Riley's wording occurred to Katie. She glanced nervously at Topanga's back and leaned forward to whisper. "You know?"

"I do." Riley whispered, then sat back and grinned, speaking in her normal voice. "Mom knows too, and nobody is going to hear us over my Dad."

Topanga turned around and slid her fingers across her lips. "Don't worry about me, I get paid not to tell other people's secrets. Do they have lawyers where you come from?"

"Minneapolis?" Katie asked coyly.

"Got it, the less I know the better. Don't worry, I would never tell a soul, not even Cory. It's just too big."

"Maya's father thought he could beat the system and we don't want a repeat of that incidence. Shawn doesn't know and I don't plan to tell him, even after we're married."

"You're getting married?" Riley blurted out.

"Shhh, Maya doesn't know yet. Shawn wants to ask her permission or something. I guess that's a custom in this time, right?"

"Oh Wow. That will be so cool, a wedding!" Riley was bouncing around in her seat. "Maybe we should make it a double!!!"

"Sorry, but that's a couple years off yet for you, I looked it up in the archives."

"You guys must keep good records." Topanga said. "But I've been telling them to give it a while anyway. They haven't even had their first fight yet."

"Maya and I will never fight." Riley laughed.

"I don't know the future, but I can tell you that's bullshit." Topanga laughed.

"Language Mom! We have company."

***

"How late are you planning to work, Dearest? The laptop is working fine, so why are you still tinkering? Despite what I said earlier about the possibility of finding some interesting pictures, I don't think you should be looking at Riley's personal files. It's an invasion of privacy."

"It's for the greater good, my intellectually gifted sweet potato. Once I crack the secret of how it was done, I can follow the trail across space and time to its source and uncover the real truth."

"What real truth? How many times Riley Mathews watched Beyonce shake her booty? What do you expect to find on Mathew's laptop?"

"Possibly one of the great secrets of the universe, Smackle, at least of our time. Someday it may be commonplace, but that is the question, isn't it?"

"You're losing it, Farkle." Smackle laughed and kissed the boy genius on the cheek. "I'll be at home, stop by later when your done perving on Riley's computer."

Farkle locked the door to his lab and sat down in front of the laptop again. "They probably laughed at Newton and Galileo, even Einstein, but they won't laugh at Farkle Minkus. Not once I prove where Maya Hart really came from!"


	13. Poof?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Farkle digs into Riley laptop and makes a life changing discovery.

"Your Mom is the greatest person ever. Not only did she produce all this," Riley's fingers drifted languidly across her roommates' naked body. "But she really and truly seems to like me."

"Yikes! Don't stop, but that tickles. Why wouldn't my Mom like you, everybody does. Besides, she's so twitter-pated over Shawn, she can't think of anything else. I'm glad she's getting married. She needed to move on from what happened to my Dad."

"Yeah, Poof! That had to be hard to deal with. Twitter-pated? Have you been watching Disney again?"

"I know, you made it clear you're still pissed at them for canceling your favorite show, but life goes on."

"It was everyone's favorite show! They keep pulling the plug on shows just when they start getting to the good stuff. I refuse to get sucked back in."

"Well, I love Bambi! I've seen it six times, and I cry every time. That Thumper is a hoot."

"So the wedding is in three weeks? Hard to believe they want my parents to stand up with them."

"I know! But Shawn was an orphan so he doesn't have any family in Minneapolis, and my Mom avoided making any close friends because she knew they were going to end up here."

"She knew that Shawn was going to get offered a job here in New York? Did that just happen, or did she pull some strings?"

"Pull strings?" The blonde grabbed Riley's hand in both of hers, it was wandering. 

"Strings. Did she mess with the future somehow to get him a job here because she knew you would show up eventually? I think the expression comes from Marionets, making things happen like you make a puppet dance."

"I don't think so. I think she just suggested it, and used her feminine wiles to get her way."

"I like I'm doing now?" The hand was back.

"I like your feminine wiles, but it's not like I need convincing."

***

"Hi Farkle." Riley dropped onto the couch at Topanga's, followed by her diminutive blond girlfriend. "Did you get my laptop fixed? Smoothies on me if you did."

"It is working, unbelievably well. It seems capable of doing things it shouldn't, considering its memory capacity and processor. It's almost like its hard-drive was redesigned by some-one." The boy genius smiled coyly.

"Farkle, did you soup-up my computer? How much is that going to cost me? Remember, your getting paid in smoothies. You didn't snoop through all my pictures, did you?" Riley blushed. "Those were intended for Maya's eyes only."

"Better not show any of those to Smackle." Maya laughed. "She already has a thing for my girlfriend."

"I will admit, I am a healthy young male with a normal libido, and I might have stumbled across an inappropriate picture or two. Nice tattoo by the way."

"Farkle! Not a word of that to anyone. Where my bunnies hide is nobody's business."

The boy genius grinned. "From what I saw, those bunnies have a nice burrow." Both Riley and Maya glared until he stopped leering. "I found a lot of interesting things in that laptop, and most of them weren't of a prurient nature."

"Huh?" Riley glanced at Maya, who leaned toward her and explained what the word meant.

"Some of the newer systems were buried pretty deep, technology that I have never seen, or heard of. A lot of it was downloaded about the time you and Maya started communicating. Quite a coincidence, isn't it Maya?" He wasn't smiling now, he was staring intently at the tiny blonde.

"Alright Farkle, you caught me." Maya mumbled. "I'm actually a Russian spy, sent here to study the sexual habits of decadent young Americans. We have a particular interest in Millennials, Lesbians specifically. We believe there's a correlation between Capitalism and Sapphic desire and I've been tasked with fully investigating the phenomenon. I've been working under the covers for months, best job this spy ever had."

"And you're doing an excellent job of it Peaches!" Riley grinned. "Down with the man, power to the pussy! Or is it power to the people? No matter, if I have to be a communist to get with you, I'm in."

"Nice try, Maya. I'm not buying the gay Russian act." Farkle insisted.

Riley knitted a brow. "You must not have looked at all the pictures on that laptop. If she's not gay, she's sure good at faking it. No wonder the Russians have you doing their dirty work!" She smiled at Maya. "See what I did there?"

"Good one Riles." Maya frowned at Farkle. "Okay, I'm not really a Russian spy. I told you the whole story. The computer guy at the commune was really good, maybe he did something to Riley's computer."

"If he was that good, everyone would know his name. The technology I found in that computer is beyond anything we, or the Russians, are capable of yet. It may be possible someday." He looked smugly back and forth between the girls. "I ran a couple of tests."

"What kind of tests?" Maya asked cautiously.

"This morning, I sent an e-mail to myself. I sent it to the myself I was two days ago. I included a message, instructing that me, from two days ago to not open it until today. Two days ago, I followed my future instructions, and didn't open it until after I had written it this morning."

"I know what you're talking about half the time, if I'm lucky." Riley complained. "Today is worse than normal."

"Maya knows what I'm talking about." Farkle said quietly. "This morning I wrote an email, and sent it two days into the past. Want to know what it said, Maya?"

Maya looked stricken. "Literally, I'm afraid it's killing me in a way you can't imagine. Tell me you didn't write what I fear you did."

"I did what any scientist would do. I developed a hypothesis based on the evidence, then I conducted an experiment to develop my theory. I proved it when I opened that email about an hour ago."

Riley threw her hands up. "What the hell did the email say, Dumb-ass?"

"Dumb-ass? That email will change the world as we know it Riley. It said Time travel is possible!" He grinned triumphantly. "I realized if I could use Riley's laptop to send a message two days into the past, Maya could have communicated the same way, across the centuries. If that was possible, if time is truly not linear, as I have long suspected, why not a physical shift. After a little digging, I was actually able to link to Maya's time, and tap into their version of the internet."

"Oh God no." Maya put her head down. Soon she was sobbing, her shoulders shaking.

"Nice Farkle!" Riley put her arm around her girlfriend. "You always have to be right! Look what you did, now she's crying."

"Maya, I'm sorry. It doesn't matter if you're from the future." Farkle put a hand on her shoulder. "I won't tell anyone, and if anything, I like you more than ever. It's cool having a friend from the thirty-third century. Please, don't cry."

Maya lifted her head, and dabbed at her eyes with the Kleenex Riley handed her. "It's not your fault Farkle. I should thrown the damn laptop away. It's the only physical evidence, and we're warned about that."

"So I'm right?" Farkle asked. "This is awesome."

"Not awesome at all, Dumb-ass." Maya put her head down again, then lifted it and looked at the boy genius. "Bad enough you know, but by communicating with my time you have alerted the Powers, and they won't allow you to walk around with that information."

"What? Will they wipe my brain somehow?" He asked wide-eyed.

"I wish it were that easy. You are a danger to the Timeline, knowing what you know. They may just erase us all, or they may back up and erase the events of the last few months or the last few years. They may go back and stop me from ever coming here, from seeing Riley's painting and falling in love with her. They might erase that whole timeline and have us all live completely different lives, you here, and me in the thirty-third century. At least we'd be alive."

"But Peaches, how could I be alive, without having known you?" Riley teared up too. "If they erase you, they have to erase me. I don't want to exist without you."

Farkle was pale. "How can the people of the future do something like that? What about all the good things you said about how accepting and compassionate the people are where you come from? Obviously, at the time I didn't realize you were talking about the future, but what kind of monsters would erase people from existence?"

"The kind that are tasked with protecting everything, Farkle. The Powers have to consider the good of billions of people throughout centuries of time. It won't hurt, and none of us will ever know it happened."

"I'll know." Riley sobbed. "There will always be this empty spot, and I will know somehow you were supposed to be in it."

"What can we do? Can we communicate with them, beg for another chance?" Farkle asked.

"That might make it worse. It's not your fault. I should have been more careful. There are so many variables, my Mom and Shawn, Riley's parents, you and Smackle; it's hard to say how wide ranging their correction might be. Stopping Riley and I from ever meeting is the most logical and affects the least number of people."

"Peaches. No!" Riley collapse into Maya's arms, wailing loudly as Farkle looked on.

"What is going on out here?" Topanga asked, walking up to the table. "Good thing we don't have any customers."

"Farkle screwed up the timeline. We're all doomed!" Riley wailed louder.

"So now Farkle is in on it? You two are terrible at keeping secrets." Topanga scolded with her hands on her hips.

"Stupid genius." Riley muttered. "He figured it out on his own. The worst part is, he tipped off the Time Lords."

"Time Lords? Isn't that Doctor Who? I'm confused."

"Doesn't matter, thanks to Farkle we'll all probably cease to exist by suppertime. Stupid genius." The brunette glared at Farkle, who hung his head.

"Riley, don't. Farkle can't help being curious, it's who he is." Maya took her hand, then looked up at Topanga. "He communicated with my time, using Riley's laptop. I don't think the Powers are going to be happy about that. It's a major disruption, and they will take action to correct things before any more people know. You're not in danger, but this conversation may never happen and you may never meet me. It may be that this reality will cease to exist."

"So we all go Poof? Now it does sound like an episode of Doctor Who."

"Then, I will be the Doctor." Farkle blurted suddenly. "I will fix this!" He jumped to his feet, and without another word, ran out of the Diner.

"I shouldn't have yelled at him." Riley cringed. "Now I feel worse then I did, which is hard to believe because a minute ago was the worst moment of my life. It just keeps going downhill."

"I'm not sure if I should try to communicate with the Powers or not. There is a number to leave a message, but it might just make things worse."

"You have a hotline to the future?" Topanga asked.

"Our distant future is today in my time. The messages stay in limbo, and there's a correlation factor. The Powers may be ready to take action, and the right message might stop them from acting."

"What would be the right message?" Riley asked fearfully.

"The only thing that might appease them, would be for me to remove myself from this reality."

"No way. Besides, you said you can't go back, that time travel only goes back, not forward."

"That's not what I mean. If I stop interacting with Farkle and everyone, so there was no longer a danger of me contaminating the timeline, they might let it go."  


"Stop interacting?" Riley asked. "Would we have to move away?"

Maya squeezed Riley's hand gently. "Not we Riley, just me. I'll talk to my Mom, but from what I know, it's the only thing that will stop them from erasing this reality. I would rather have this as a memory, than to have never had it at all." 

Riley fell into her arms crying uncontrollably. Maya stroked her hair and held her. "It's the only way Riley. I'll beg for a little time, but after Mom's wedding, I'm going to have to go away and never see any of you again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter!


	14. The Not So Final Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No spoiler, just read it!

It would be a beautiful wedding, small, but elegant. Riley's parents would stand up with Shawn and Katy while Riley and Maya stood next to their mothers. Neither the bride or groom had been in town long enough to know anyone well, but Shawn had invited a few people from his new job, and Zay and Smackle were there.

"Is Farkle coming?" Maya asked Smackle shortly before the ceremony. "I get that he's busy, but it would be nice to have a few more bodies here."

"He's been unusually obsessed of late. He's working on some wild equations, drinking Red Bull by the gallon and not sleeping at all. He said to tell you he's sorry."

"It's okay, it's not like my Mom is going to even notice." 

"No, that's not what he's sorry about. He's sorry that he put you in danger. He explained the whole thing to me. I have to say, guilt must inspire the little guy, he is coming up with some equations that even I don't understand. Of course, it could just be all that Red Bull."

"Smackle! Why would he tell you about any of that? The more people that know, the greater the chance the Powers will make a correction. I tried to communicate with them but had no luck. I guess the good news is that if I cease to exist, I won't even know it."

"Sorry Maya, I really hope that doesn't happen." Smackle blinked innocently, biting back a smile. "But if it does, just know that I'll do my best to console Riley any way I can."

"That's encouraging." Maya said dryly and turned her back to the bespectacled girl. She walked over to the punch bowl and filled a glass.

"Maya," Riley spotted her. "You know that punch is spiked."

"Good. Maybe getting good and drunk is what I need. The last three weeks have been wonderful Riley. Living for the moment makes everything seem sweeter, but I'm running out of moments, and the reality of that hurts. It would almost be better if they sent me a text and told me the hour and day I will go Poof! Then at least we could make love one last time."

"I'm not complaining, but the last time almost was the last time for me. I saw colors I didn't know existed, and I know everyone on the block heard me." Riley smiled and kissed her roommate. "We still don't know anything for sure. I still think we should run away together. I can change my name and we can live like hippies in California. As long as you never paint me, the Powers will never find us."

"They have their ways, Riley. Everyone born in my century has a microchip implanted in their skull. The master computer can find you, no matter where you hide in space and time."

"Not a very enlightened society! I don't even like it when people do that to their dogs. I actually led a protest when I was eight. I wanted to get arrested, but they had mac and cheese at the cafeteria that day and I was hungry, so I capitulated. All over New York there are dogs that will never truly be free, just because I'm a sucker for pasta and fake cheese."

"Dogs that are truly free get flattened by cars Riley, and can we talk about me? I'm the one who is going to disappear, and I'm going to miss you."

"Pluto is a planet Maya! I believe while there is hope, so…well, there's hope! Don't really know where I was going with that."

"Nice slogan, but I've never seen that on any money in the future. It's wonderful that you would volunteer to run away with me, but I couldn't let you leave your family behind. Just promise me you won't date Smackle, okay?"

"Smackle? That's all in your head, she doesn't really have a thing for me." Riley glanced in the direction of their gifted friend. Smackle gave her a syrupy smile and a coy wink. "Okay," Riley admitted. "Maybe she is interested, but Farkle said he's taking her with him on a trip. And I would never cheat on you."

"It wouldn't be cheating if I go away, it's not like we're married or anything."

Riley shrugged dismally, then her eyes widened suddenly. "But we could be! Let's get married today, right after your Mom and Shawn, or maybe even with them!"

"According to history, that doesn't happen for a couple more years, remember?"

"Why? Why can't we change that history, or the timeline thingy. Its our lives, in America everyone gets to make their own history."

"The Powers will never accept it Riley! They will erase us both from existence."

"I don't care Maya! It's you and me, forever. We have always been meant to be, like Corey and Topanga, only a hundred times more. I don't care if I don't exist. I will not exist with you if I have to. But I'm not leaving you, and you're not leaving me. We are getting married, today!"

"Riley, I don't know. Seriously, the Powers might just take us both, instead of just me."

"And maybe they won't take either of us! It's love Maya! It's undeniable, and scary, and wonderful, and all that matters in the universe. I didn't exist before you, and if I don't a week from now, so be it. I was a confused, lonely girl staring at my computer screen, and you found me. You said "You are Riley" remember that? Before you, being Riley wasn't enough, but when you said it, it was everything. I was the center of the universe, because I was the center of your universe. I love you Maya Hart, will you please marry me!"

At this point, Riley had gotten very loud. She was crying and had fallen to her knees, holding tightly to Maya's hands. The room fell silent, and all eyes were on the tiny blonde, waiting for her answer. She glanced around the room, then down at the teary-eyed brunette. "Of course, I'll marry you, Riley Mathews. Whatever you want."

***

"We won't be legally married without a license, but we can deal with that later." Maya pointed out. "And no rings."

"My Mom ran home, so she's grabbing a couple of my grandmothers old rings, just for the ceremony. Will the rings go with us if we go Poof?"

"If we go Poof, I don't think anyone will be worried about those rings."

"You haven't met my brother's girlfriend Eva, have you? She already claimed them. But no worries, and thank-you for saying yes."

"You're right Riley, if it's only twenty minutes, or another hundred and fifty years, I only want to go Poof with you."

"A hundred and fifty years?" Riley furrowed a brow.

"Genetic modification therapy. Didn't I tell you about that?"

"Great Maya! I'll be old as dirt, and you'll just be hitting middle age. How is that going to work?"

"Odds are, we'll cease to exist very soon, so don't worry about getting too old for me."

"I hope I make it through the honeymoon at least." Riley smiled dreamily.

"Is that the Preacher?" Maya asked.

Riley peered across the room. "I guess. Good looking, for an old guy."

"Funny, I don't recall you ever going to church."

"Unimportant detail, Maya." Riley deadpanned. "It would complicate the story-line unnecessarily."

"Right, back to reality." Maya nodded. "Don't look now, but hot Preacher guy is headed this way."

The bearded man of the cloth approached them and held out his hand. He looked very old, but his voice was strong and his eyes were piercing. "I understand you two will be joined in matrimony today, as well as Maya's parents? It's an honor to be here and participate in your nuptials."

"Thank-you Father. I don't remember seeing you at our church before. I used to go, but not for years. We don't have a marriage license. Is God going to be pissed at us?" Riley asked, causing a fit of laughter from her new fiancée.

"You know Riley, I think I can help with that." The old man reached in his coat and pulled out an envelope. "Strange thing, I found this on my desk just before coming here today."

"It's a marriage license." Riley looked at it curiously. "Funny, we already signed it. How can that be?"

Smackle walked up and interrupted them. "Riley, your Mom is back and she said to get you all up there. No chance you won't go through with this marriage nonsense, is there?"

"No chance Smackle." Maya said quickly.

"Oh well, who's the hot old guy? Odd, he looks really familiar."

***

"Well, we consummated the marriage, several times, and we're still here." Riley said gratefully. "I didn't know it was possible to be this happy."

"Me either, Cupcake. It's Riley and Maya, forever." 

The girls dozed, snuggling against each other. Neither saw the sudden shimmer in the corner of the room, or the appearance of the two men that walked quietly up to their bed.

Maya started awake suddenly, eyes wide and let out a sizable shriek that roused her unconscious bed-mate. 

Riley's eyes teared up and she pulled Maya into a tight hug. "Is this it Peaches? Are we goners? Does going Poof hurt a lot?"

"Just get it over with!" Maya said bravely. "What the hell are you smiling about?"

The two men were dressed in pale brown jump suits and were wearing sandals. Each held a small metallic case with a tiny wire that was attached to the front of their suit. The older of the two spoke, smiling. "We're not here to make you go Poof, or whatever archaic term you wish to use."

"Hey." Riley squinted through her exhaustion. "Aren't you the hot Preacher?"

"Don't go trying anything funny, pervert!" Maya said quickly. "We both only like girls, and we're tougher than we look."

"My disguise is better than I thought." The old man chuckled. "But then you couldn't possibly put it together, even you Maya. Look closely, girls."

"Your voice does sound familiar." They looked at each other, then back at the tall man. The realization hit them both simultaneously. "Farkle?"

He threw his head back and laughed. "Yup, it's me! Smackle couldn't make the trip, she is busy with the grandchildren. There are reasons why I needed to wait until I was this age to appear to you, but time is not as finite as we once thought. We might meet again in the future, and I might then be a younger man." 

"Does this mean we aren't going Poof?" Riley blinked.

"I think it does Riley." Maya smiled. "How'd you do it Farkle? We were always told that time travel was only possible into the past. You must have managed to disprove that somehow."

"When I exposed you to the Powers, I became obsessed with finding a solution, and traveling forward to confront them. Advanced people shouldn't do such barbaric things. Once I stumbled onto the Minkus Equation, the Powers came calling. I will admit, I tricked them. By using my theory and knowledge, coupled with their technology I was able to jump even further into the future, to an age of absolute enlightenment. The people of the forty-fifth century have reached true Nirvana. They returned with me to your time, Maya, and we were able to show the Powers the error of making the kind of corrections that make people go "Poof" as you call it."

"No shit!" Riley shook her head. "So we get to live and be married forever, or until I get old and croak and Maya lives for another eighty years and finds a hot new wife?"

"I will be sure you get some of those special vitamins, Riley, so that your life spans match more closely. And we have another gift for you, a wedding present from the forty-fifth century. My friend Radoo here will explain."

Farkle's companion stepped forward. He was a little taller than Farkle, with long blond hair that was pulled back onto his shoulders. He pulled a small case from his pocket, then looked down at them and spoke slowly, as if he had rehearsed a speech. 

"The Scientist that is Minkus, is much too modest. His discoveries allowing for inter-dimensional time travel have changed the course of history in ways I cannot explain and cannot possibly quantify at this time. Because of the Minkus Equation, we can communicate with other species scattered throughout the universe, and visit this and any time we wish, past and future. The Scientist that is Minkus, is the single greatest thinker the world has yet to see."

"Alright, I knew he was smart, but good grief." Riley rolled her eyes.

The blond man smiled. "His significance is without peer in our time, and we have you to thank for his limitless contributions. This is why we, the people of my century, wished to present you with a wedding present."

"I do love presents!" Riley slid forward on the bed and pulled her wife up beside her. "Why are we getting this again?"

"Legend has it, that because of your unmatched beauty, Maya traveled to your time to find you and be with you and painted the picture that still hangs in the Gallery of Art in our Grand City. It was because of your coupling, that the Scientist that is Minkus, developed his Equations. Mankind owes him a great debt; but as he has pointed out, without the inspiration of your unparalleled love he would not have been driven to the near madness necessary to arrive at his Equations. That, and all that Red Bull."

"Our contribution was unintentional." Maya pointed out. "One look at her, and I had no choice. I just followed my heart."

"Maya!" Riley poked her new wife with an elbow. "If the nice man from the future wants to give us a present, let him."

"A union such as yours is remarkable, and you should have something equally as remarkable to signify your marriage and help you to strengthen the bond." He carefully opened the box and showed them a pair of rings. They were mostly gold in color, but shimmered and changed as the light played across them. "These are very special rings. They are metabolically linked, and designed specifically for you. When you both wear them, you will be able to sense each others love and passion, and instinctively know what the other person's needs and desires are."

"Desires?" Riley blushed.

The blond man laughed. "Yes. The rings will help you be close in every possible way. They will heighten your awareness of each other emotionally, and physically, in ways that you need to experience to understand. There is no way to explain the levels of pleasure that these rings will help you achieve. To put it simply, the sex will rock your world!"

"Riley already does that for me." Maya sighed. Riley gave her a black look and she continued quickly. "Not that we don't want the rings! Of course we want the rings, we don't want to be rude."

Farkle chuckled. "I've had a chance to experiment with the Sammy device from your time Maya. This is like that, only with another person. Then times it by a hundred."

The blond man closed the box and handed it to Maya. "You might want to exchange these later, when you have some privacy. The effect is immediate, and you won't be able to contain yourselves. I wouldn't plan on going anywhere for a couple days; or maybe a week. There is one more thing, Riley. A very special present, just for you. The Scientist that is Minkus suggested it."

The brunette bounced up onto her knees on the bed, grinning from ear to ear. "This is the best day of my whole wonderful life! What more could there be?"

Radoo produced a small cylinder and pulled a rolled-up scroll from it, unrolled it, and started to read. "By order of the World Council, in collaboration with the Federation of Unified Societies, it is so ordered; that the dwarf planet known as Pluto, orbiting the sun known as Sol at a distance of three billion miles, shall here-to-for and in perpetuity be given full planetary status, in recognition of the significant contributions of one Riley Mathews, living in the year 2019."

"Pluto is finally a planet again Riley." Farkle said happily, handing the document to the sobbing brunette. "All because you never stopped believing!"

"Will we ever see you again Farkle?" Maya asked, stroking her wife's hair. Riley, overcome with emotion, looked on and sniffled helplessly.

"Of course! You will see me in a few days. The young man I am in this time will not travel to the future for a couple months, but maybe don't share that with him. It might interrupt the continuum. Time travel is confusing, even when you understand the math. But you will see a lot of me over the many years we will all be friends. For now, we will leave you to continue your honeymoon."

Both the men touched their chests where the wire was attached. There was a flash, and then they were gone. Riley looked at Maya, raised a brow and smiled Devilishly as she opened the ring box.

***

Riley slipped into bed beside her sleeping wife and kissed her softly on the lips. The blonde smiled and opened her eyes. "Radoo wasn't kidding about those rings. I can't even remember the last three days."

"I remember every second, and I know you do too. These rings are incredible, but you were right; we had this without them."

"That may be, but still, we're never taking them off." Maya giggled.

"No kidding!" The soft light of the moon fell across Maya's face and Riley leaned over to kiss her, a tear trickling from the tip of her nose.

"I can tell those are happy tears, rings or not." The blonde smiled warmly.

"I am so happy! Everything worked out. We didn't get poofed out of existence, both our parents are living here, and we're married! Isn't life wonderful, Maya?"

"It is, Riley. I'm so glad I found you. In all of time and space, there was only one person that was the exact one I was meant to be with, and you were here reaching out to me, writing in your Journal. Makes me wonder, if somewhere, someone didn't have this all planned out. Maybe they were writing in a Journal of their own."

"I don't believe that everything is planned out like that. Who could come up with our level of cuteness? But I do know that somehow, you and I were always meant to be. It was always going to be us, and it always will be us. Riley and Maya. Forever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be my Final Chapter where these two are concerned, but their cuteness will continue far into the future! Thanks for Reading!


End file.
